


Deep Inertia

by KermodeSnowBear, radama



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Sass, Self-Indulgent, Smut, time skip
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-29
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2019-04-29 17:13:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14477427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KermodeSnowBear/pseuds/KermodeSnowBear, https://archiveofourown.org/users/radama/pseuds/radama
Summary: With Hawkmoth defeated and Emilie returned to them, one might think that our heroes' lives might return to normal. But six years later they find themselves facing a far darker foe.





	1. Prologue- The Final Battle

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy reading. We would love to hear any theories you might have~

The knock at the front door woke the entire household. It was in the early hours of the morning that all five members of the Kurtzberg family trundled out of their rooms to the entrance of their home. Nathanael’s father threw open the door just as Nino’s hand raised to knock again.

“What?!” the older man screamed. “Do you know what fucking time it is?”

“S-sorry, sir,” Nino managed to utter, glancing behind the man. His eyes landed on his ginger friend, short and obvious towards the back of the group. “I need to talk to Nath. Like, now. Seriously.” 

His expression was grave, despite the aggressive man looming over him and reeking of stale alcohol. He only realised then that he should have been more careful about getting Nathanael’s attention. Shit.

As the man opened his mouth to scream at Nino again, Nathanael spoke up, diverting his attention.

“Sorry, Dad. I…” he started. “We’re going. I… I’ll stay at Nino’s tonight, don’t worry about me,” then he sprinted to his room for a coat and his phone. Seconds later he was squeezing his way through his family and outside to Nino, when the door was promptly slammed behind him. Nathanael cringed at the noise.

“Sorry, dude,” Nino said, dejected and looking at the ground. He scuffed his shoe against the concrete step.

“It’s okay,” Nathanael replied softly and tugged his friend away from the house, away from the slightly warm hearth and only the bitterly cold streets. “He would’ve found something else to yell about soon anyway.”

The two walked aimlessly, dawdling along the street in silence. Each breath was visible in the freezing air and the cold bit into Nathanael’s pyjamas. Some nights were like these. One would turn up at the other’s and with no explanation needed, they’d wander for hours. Eventually the problem arose and they spoke, but before then the quietness of night and the company of a close friend was all that was needed.

Tonight seemed a little different though. After roughly an hour or more of aimlessness, the city clock chiming to let them know, Nino’s steps gained a purpose. He lead Nathanael wordlessly through the city, mostly through oddly placed back streets and around endless corners, as if he didn’t want anyone following them. They circled a block of shops before Nino slipped down one last alley and let them inside.

What was strange to Nathanael was that Nino had a key. It wasn’t just a normal key; it was old brass that slid into the keyhole noisily before the door creaked open.

“Where are we, Nino?” Nathanael asked curiously, letting his eyes adjust to the dark before peering around. The room they were in seemed to be filled with bottles and bottles, Asian lettered labels marked the shelves in an order that Nathanael couldn’t understand. Nino lead him out and into a room, a springy floor beneath his feet and mostly bare.

Nino finally flicked on a light, though Nathanael didn’t know how as he was standing right next to the brunet. The room was flooded with light and it took several moments to blink the blindness from his eyes. 

The room was home to Chinese paper screens, cutting the room in half, and a small table that sat only inches from the bamboo floor. 

“My pa’s place,” Nino answered. He left Nathanael where he stood and went to a tiny stove which he lit and started heating water. “Well, he was my God father. Not my actual pa.”

“I didn’t know you had one,” Nathanael replied, frowning ever so slightly at this new information. It wasn’t like Nino to keep secrets.

“Sorry, dude. There’s a lot you don’t know actually,” Nino revealed. Moments later he was moving to sit cross-legged on a cushion at the table.

Nathanael stayed quiet as he joined his friend. Nino would talk in his own time, Nath knew that.

The water boiled before Nino resumed talking. He brought a large teapot to the table and sat back down as it brewed. Nathanael watched the steam rise.

“Hawkmoth’s dead,” Nino stated flatly several minutes later. His voice snapped Nathanael out of his own mind and confusing marred his features.

“What?”

“Hawkmoth. He’s dead. Kinda,” Nino explained. “Dead usually means there’s a body, eh? Nah, he’s just… nothing. He’s nothing now. I watched him turn into nothing.”

Nathanael couldn’t answer. His lips hung open in a sort of numb acknowledgment. 

“And my pa. Fu, his name was Fu. He’s dead too,” Nino continued, starting to ramble because everything in his mind was still jumbled up, despite the event happening days ago. Nino still hadn’t come to terms with it all.

“Hold up,” Nathanael cut in. “Your God father was Hawkmoth?”

“No, no, dude,” Nino quickly stopped him. “Adrien’s pa was Hawkmoth. Which is honestly the biggest twist of the century!” 

“So, two people are dead?” Nathanael asked, piecing small things together very haphazardly. “Adrien’s dad and your God father? Were they working together or…? Maybe you should start at the start, Ni.”

Nino sucked in a breath between his teeth as he tried to mentally retrace all the way back to the beginning of the entire mess. He lifted the teapot, now brewed, with shaky hands and Nathanael had to take over before Nino spilt the tea all over the table.

“Okay,” Nino uttered as he watched the tea stream from pot to his Hello Kitty mug which seemed oddly out of place in the Chinese styled room.

“So, Chat Noir got abducted, remember that?” Nino started slowly. “Yeah, anyway, turns out he was living with Hawkmoth all this time, and Hawkmoth found out who he was…”  
_  
Alya was the first to find out. It was an email that she nearly overlooked, disregarding it as spam until she noticed the attachments. There was an array of images shakily taken, as well as a video that Alya was wary to click on. But she did, and she was greeted with something worse than she dared to have imagined._

_Adrien Agreste lay slumped against a handrail in a room lit only by afternoon sun, handcuffed by one wrist to a metal rung. Behind him was a glass chamber, over grown with moss and ivy. But what Alya focused on was that the video was being shot in selfie mode, curtesy of one incredibly evil butterfly._

_“Greetings, Miss Césaire,” the villain crooned, a smirk covering what little of his face the mask didn’t hide._

_“As you can see, I have your young friend here. Now, I don’t want anything bad to happen to him, but you must understand, Miss Césaire. I need his miraculous and he refuses to renounce it. He’s left me with little choice.”_

_The video shook as Hawkmoth reangled the camera. Adrien filled the screen. He weakly looked up at his captor, then straight into the lens. His lips moved wordlessly before he slumped again with a painful gasp._

_“I need you to show this to Ladybug. You’ll do that for me, won’t you? If you don’t I’m afraid Chat Noir won’t last the night. When Ladybug makes her plans, reply to this email. Don’t bother trying to trace it, you’ll only waste the cat’s time,” Hawkmoth added with a scoff._

_“The police will be useless, by the way. I have magic they could never fathom. And be sure Ladybug hands over her miraculous, or the world can say ‘bye bye, pretty kitty.’”_

_The video ended and Alya remained still for all of two minutes. Tears slipped down her cheeks, mascara running with them. When she was finally able to move again, she screamed, loudly and violently. She cried out to the empty house, harrowed by the burden of her friend’s life._

_When she calmed herself enough, Alya was back on her computer and typing a very brief message that she pinned to her blog._

Ladybug. SOS. Call me!!!  
_  
But she couldn’t sit around and just wait for Ladybug to respond. She needed help, or at least a friend._

_She called to Trixx, who up until now had been ignoring the woman’s outburst, and was out the window and scaling to the roof._

_Usually sprinting over the city had her filled with glee, but today wasn’t like that. She found and sat upon her best friend’s balcony and tried to call Ladybug via their communicators. Nothing. She tried several more times just in case, but it seemed that Ladybug wasn’t transformed. On a whim she dialled Chat Noir, because maybe this was all a hoax, or a belated April Fool’s joke. He never answered._

_Rena Rouge cried out again, crying openly._

_The heroine hadn’t heard Marinette come to investigate while she cried. She felt her best friend’s arms wrap around her and the woman crumpled into the embrace._  
  
“Hold up,” Nathanael interjected, stopping Nino part way into his story. “Alya’s Rena Rouge? A-and Adrien’s Chat Noir?!” 

The ginger looked shocked as Nino nodded.

“Yup. I was kinda shocked too.”

“How do you even know this?” Nathanael asked. “Wait, no. Makes sense. They’re your closest friends.”

“That wasn’t even it, dude. I’m Carapace, the turtle dude. Pa Fu was turtle hero, Jade, before me. He kinda taught me all about this shit; all about the magic and their identities and the kwamis.”

“That what?”

“Kwami. It’s a tiny alien god thing. They give us the magic. Wayzz! Dude, where are ya?” 

Nathanael was introduced to Wayzz when the green god floated to the table from behind the screens. He bowed to Nathanael and Nino offered him a thimble of tea, while Nathanael processed what he was seeing.

“Nooroo’s around here too… somewhere. He likes to hide though,” Nino added. “He was Hawkmoth’s.”

“Is he…okay after that?”

Nino shook his head. “Nooroo was… kwamis aren’t meant to be used for evil. Hawkmoth forced him against everything he was made for. Poor thing.”

“I know how that feels,” Nathanael mumbled, not bothering to explain. Nino knew his father well enough. “Anyway, Alya and Marinette?”

“Right, yeah,” Nino replied and quickly launched back into his story. “So Alya is totally distraught and angsty, and she reveals who she is to Marinette.”  
_  
“I’m sorry I never told you, Mari, but I promised Ladybug I’d never tell a soul. Not even on the Ladyblog! But I really needed you and I thought you should know about Adrien and…”_

_Alya, in Marinette’s room and on her bed, choked on the words she struggled to say. Even now it was hard to spill the secret she’d guarded for years. Marinette remained frozen around her._

_“Adrien? He’s Chat Noir?” she whispered with a raw throat, threatening to crack and cry as well._

_“And Hawkmoth’s got him. But Ladybug’s not replying. It’s only been, like, ten minutes, but this is Adrien!”_

_Marinette didn’t answer straight away._

_“I know, sorry,” the blunette finally said. “Sorry, I was doing homework and… “_

“I fucking knew it!” Nathanael laughed, congratulating himself on nearly half a decade of drawing and observing. 

Nino snorted and rolled his eyes. “You’ll never guess who Queen Bee is.” 

_Alya glanced up at Marinette. She wiped her face clear of tears and stared at her best friend._

_“What?” Alya asked softly._

_“Sorry, Als. I couldn’t tell anyone. But… I already know you’re Rena. And you’re an amazing Rena. I couldn’t have picked someone better, seriously.”_

_Alya removed herself from Marinette’s arms. She wasn’t angry, simply shocked. Years of flaky excuses and running late… it made sense. Alya didn’t blame Marinette. Maybe she would have if the circumstances were different, but now wasn’t the time._

_“What are we going to do?” Alya asked, pushing down the negative emotions and focusing on the problem. “Adrien’s in trouble. Here,” she added and pulled out her phone to show Marinette the video and photographs._

_Marinette watched in silent horror, breath poised as Adrien looked up at them as if he could see them and was trying to talk to them. She couldn’t keep the tears from rolling, even as she stood and called out into the room._

_“Tikki!”_

_“Marinette, we can’t just run into this, we don’t know where he even is,” Alya said and grabbed for her friend’s arm. She clung to Marinette as the ladybug god zipped into view._

_“Master Fu might be able to help, Marinette,” Tikki chirped hurriedly._

_“Who’s Master Fu?”_

_“He’s the guardian of all the miraculouses in Paris,” Marinette replied quickly, nodding to Tikki._  
  
“That’s your godfather, right?” Nathanael cut in again, finding something he already knew. He wasn’t entirely lost.

Nino nodded.  
_  
So, the two transformed and headed straight for Master Fu’s. They pounded on the back door until the old man let them in. Both rushed in before anyone could see them on the street, and before the old man could warn the girls._

_Nino lay on his stomach in the middle of the loungeroom, ancient books spread around him in languages long since dead. His head shot up when he realised he was no longer just him, Wayzz on his shoulder, and Fu who toddled back into the room. The old man didn’t even blink at their silence and prepared tea for his new guests. The friends all stared at each other._

_“Before you ask,” Nino found his voice. “Yes, I know who you are. No, I didn’t make Pa Fu tell me. Yes, I’m studying all this magic shit. Also, learning dead languages suck balls, just so you know the effort I’m putting in here.”_

_“Sit down, ladies,” Fu interrupted his godchild, offering out cups of tea to them both. “Let us explain.”_

_“No time, sorry, Master,” Ladybug cut him off, even as the hot tea was pressed into her hands. “Hawkmoth has Adrien and he’s demanding I trade my miraculous for his life.”_

_Nino’s gaze snapped up to the old man, worry and stress instantly showing. “Then Hawkmoth has…”_

_“Chat Noir’s miraculous,” Rena Rouge finished for Nino. “Yeah. Hawkmoth sent Al- me. Sent me a video.”_

_Rena Rouge dropped her transformation and grabbed her phone out to show the two men. They all watched, and rewatched it several times in silence._

_Nino swore several times. Even the comforting hand of his pa on his shoulder didn’t cut through the pain._

_“Is Adrien trying to say something, guys?” Nino asked a moment later, noting that the blond mouthed two very distinct shapes._

_“Father,” Fu whispered and plucked the phone from Alya’s hands. Surprisingly for his age, he was quite well versed in technology, and was able to replay and zoom right in on Adrien’s mouth._

_“He’s saying ‘father’.”_

_“Gabe-dickweed-riel?” Nino asked, and was scolded by a glare from Marinette._

_“Xiǎo ké,” Fu spoke to Nino. “Go call Queen Bee. Alya, tell Hawkmoth we agree and ask his terms. All kwamis follow me. Marinette, drink your tea.”_  
  
The story prompted Nathanael to glance down at his now stone-cold tea. How long had they sat there? It was still dark past the paper blinds. 

Nino smiled awkwardly and took Nath’s mug to make him fresh tea, which the ginger actually drank this time.

“Who did you call?”

“Chloé Bourgeois,” Nino answered and Nathanael’s mouth dropped. “Told ya you’d never guess.”

“Chloé? Seriously?” Nathanael spluttered. “How is she a hero?”

“She’s been slowly changing, dude,” Nino explained. “Slowly. But we gave her a chance to prove herself and… yeah. She did. She’s probably got the strongest moral compass out of all of them now.”

“No way,” Nathanael breathed.

“Yes way, dude. You’ve seen her in action. She’s changed a butt load since middle school.”  
_  
Hawkmoth gave the team half an hour to gather themselves and confront him at the Agreste manor. It seemed that Hawkmoth felt the time was now or never to end their long-suffering feud._

_With little time to spare, Ladybug and Rena Rouge sprinted back across the city, slipping into Marinette’s room and transforming. The blunette began to throw piles of clothes from her dresser onto the floor, and Alya went right to work sorting through them._

_“I really don’t think this is a great idea, Mari,” Alya spoke up when she tossed a masquerade mask back at her friend. “Giving up your miraculous, even as a red herring. It’s risky!”_

_“I don’t have a choice, Alya. It’s Adrien. It’s Chat Noir. It’s his life. I’d give up nearly anything for him.”_

_“I don’t want to give up you!” Alya replied, voice raised. Only then did Marinette realise that her friend was holding back tears. “What if the moment he has your miraculous, he kills you? This is Hawkmoth, Mari! He’s not even above killing his own son!”_

_Marinette stepped around the clothes and up to Alya._

_“I’m not going to die, Als,” she choked out. She couldn’t quite bring herself to believe her own words._

_“But you might,” Alya persisted. “I might. We all might. And I-… I can’t let you go without telling you that-…”_

_Marinette encircled Alya with a hug. “We’re not going to die,” she said, firmer this time._

_Alya couldn’t reply, couldn’t believe Marinette. Her hands flew to Marinette’s cheeks, surprising the blunette with their tenderness._

_“Alya?” she whispered, but nothing more could be said for her friend was covering her lips with her own._  
  
“I always thought she was gay,” Nathanael murmured. “She’s just so…butch.”

“You and me both, dude.”  
_  
“Don’t you dare fucking die, Mar,” Alya breathed out in a terrified whisper when they parted. “Not today. Not for at least another twenty years. I need you.”_

_Marinette raised her fingers to her lips. Her perfect blue eyes were wide and her cheeks were dusted with a ferocious blush._

_“I- I’m not going to die today, Als,” Marinette replied in a meek tone as a smile replaced the kiss. Marinette offered out a pinky finger to her best friend._

_“Neither am I.” Alya replied and linked fingers._  
  
“I can ship that,” Nathanael said when Nino paused for a drink. “Like, so hard.”

“Didn’t you have a crush on Marinette?”

“Didn’t you?”

“Touché.”  
_  
Four miraculous heroes and Nino entered the eerily open gates, and scaled the steps that were bathed in early evening moonlight. The doors to the mansion swung open, revealing Gabriel’s assistant who allowed them to enter._

_“Follow me,” the woman commanded in a clipped tone and spun to walk out of the foyer._

_Ladybug headed the group, her shoulders squared but inside she was shaking. Slightly behind her, Rena Rouge reached forward to hold her hand just for a second._

_The two turtles, the young and the old, followed behind them. Fu had transformed and was now clad in green armour. He kept his shield ready in arm. Nino hadn’t been so lucky to have a kwami yet. He was due to inherit the turtle upon Fu’s death, but the man had been training him now for years. Nino would fight beside his master, even if only in a hoodie and bullet proof vest._

_Queen Bee brought up the rear. Every few steps the blonde would spin and scan their surroundings with focussed precision. She’d been to the mansion a thousand times before, but the reason of today’s visit had the young woman on edge in the familiar surroundings._

_They were lead through the dining room, into Gabriel’s office, and Nathalie pointed out a slightly indented panel in the flooring._

_“It’s the only way in,” she explained and stood by the switch to make it work._

_Ladybug turned back to her team. “I’ll go first.”_

_“No way,” Rena Rouge interrupted in a hiss. “That’s way too dangerous and you made me a promise.”_

_“Rena is right,” Nino said, his face a shadow under his hood. They all looked from one to another before Queen Bee broke away._

_“Send it down,” she demanded of Nathalie. “We’ll jump.”_

_The assistant scowled, but did as she was told. The panel in the floor shifted and the elevator descended into the lair._

_“After you guys,” Queen Bee said, arms crossed in satisfaction._

_With a glance at her best friend, Ladybug nodded and secured her yo-yo to a pillar in the room, then rappelled into the depths._

_For some reason, Ladybug hadn’t expected the den to be so well lit. Warm lights were placed every few meters along the wall. An actual catwalk was right in front of where she landed, and up ahead she saw a familiar blond head leaning against the railing._

_“Adrien!” Ladybug screamed and against better judgement, she ran ahead. Her teammates were arriving just behind her as she took off for her partner._

_Adrien’s head lolled upwards at the sound of her voice. A tiny smile touched his weary lips._

_Mere steps from her friend, the dark corners erupted with butterflies and Gabriel Agreste made his grand entrance, cloaked in purple. His cane stretched out, barring Ladybug from reaching Adrien as the rest of the team caught up._

_Hawkmoth reached forward, his hand uncurling to reveal an awaiting palm._

_“Your miraculous, Ladybug,” he crooned in satisfaction._

_Ladybug took a step backwards in shock, right into Rena Rouge’s comforting arms. The two glanced at each other._

_“Don’t die,” Rena whispered and Ladybug nodded._

_“You’re going to have to fight me for it,” she declared to Hawkmoth. “Adrien, I’m coming for you!”_  
  
“After that it’s kinda a blur,” Nino added with a frown. “I mean, dude, I can’t remember what every single person was doing. Everyone was everywhere, we were all fighting through butterflies just to get at Hawkmoth. But…”  
_  
Nino heard a soft, concerned voice crying out from within the fray._

_“Wayzz!” he called, swatting butterflies from his vision. “Wayzz! Where are you?!”_

_Then there was the little green god, a bracelet in his tiny hands and anguish in his eyes. Nino stopped and he tried to search for Fu but all he could hear was Gabriel’s cackling._  
  
Nathanael reached across the table to lay a hand on Nino’s. Wayzz now snuggled into Nino’s neck. Tears ran down both of their faces.  
_  
Nino took the bracelet from Wayzz and strapped it to his wrist._

_“We’ll grieve later, little dude,” Nino promised, before calling the power into himself and becoming a hero._

_Carapace hefted his shield, testing it out before finding the balance. He reminded himself that this is exactly what he’d been trained for, and after a hesitant step, he sprinted down the catwalk._

_A scream built in his throat, firing him forward with every ounce of strength he had within him. His speed grew and his battle cry had his team spilling from the path._

_A sickening twuck filled the air and the butterflies scattered. Carapace’s shield had connected with a body, that was now sent careening backwards into the overgrown vegetation._

_A joyful shout sounded from Queen Bee, who zipped in and went right for Adrien. She went straight for the cuffs and quickly used her spinning top to attack the chain. Several hits and she had Adrien free. Ladybug ran up to help Queen Bee, each taking a side to aid Adrien to escape._

_They hadn’t gotten more than a few steps when the sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted their escape. Every pair of eyes turned to find Hawkmoth, dishevelled and angry, with his sword pressed to Rena Rouge’s throat. He held her close in a grip that would eventually bruise, and blood dripped along the blade._

_“I’m willing to give this another try, Ladybug,” the villain growled. Rena Rouge squirmed in his arms but stopped when pain took her over. “You already know who I am; I’d never kill my son no matter who he was trying to be. But this one?”_

_Rena bit at her lips to keep from crying out. “This one I have no qualms in destroying. So, hear me out, Ladybug and…extras. I don’t want to have to kill anyone. In fact, this entire mission was to bring life back into the world,” he monologued._

_“He’s not lying,” Adrien whispered to Ladybug and Queen Bee. Despite this being a hopeful reason, he didn’t sound at all joyful about it._

_“I am SPEAKING, Adrien!” Hawkmoth boomed. His next words were strangely calm again. “But my boy is right, I’m not doing this for evil. Evil just happened to come with it. See, I needed to get your attention all those years ago and I really didn’t know how to do so, so I don’t think my message was clear. I’m trying to bring the woman I love back into my arms, back into Adrien’s life. For my dearest Emilie, I would sacrifice anything, including this girl!”_

_“Oh, shut up!” Adrien lifted his head and spat. “This isn’t righteous, Father!” He pushed himself up in the arms of the girls. “Mother never would have wanted this!”_

_Gabriel faltered for a response._

_“Ma would be so sad, Father! She was love, she was empathy, she was everything good in this world, yes. But she’s dead! She would loathe what you’ve done! This… this evil that you’ve surrounded yourself with, she’d hate it!”_

_“Enough!” Hawkmoth screamed and the blade slipped against Rena Rouge’s neck once again. This time the strong-willed woman whimpered as she flashed pleading eyes towards Ladybug._

_“Okay!” Ladybug called back, surprised by her own voice. She glanced to her right and found Adrien nodding. “Okay, you can have my miraculous. But, just give me a moment.”_

_Glee filled Hawkmoth’s eyes but he didn’t loosen his grip on the heroine._

_Ladybug turned to Adrien and lowered her voice. “A life can’t be created without another being destroyed,” she warned him._

_A moment of pain passed over Adrien’s eyes. Tears spilled out but he nodded. “But how…?”_

_“Jad-…” Ladybug turned to find Nino in his godfather’s armour and she choked. “Fu?”_

_Carapace shook his head in silent grief. Ladybug swallowed and reached out to him, pulling her friend into a tight hug._

_“Shield us,” she whispered into his ear before stepping away. He nodded once again. Ladybug turned back to their enemy._

_“I’ll trade Rena Rouge for the earrings,” she called. “You will release her before you get these.”_

_Hawkmoth narrowed his eyes but lowered his sword. He sheathed it within the cane, though still held the heroine close._

_“Put them on the casket,” Hawkmoth commanded and Ladybug paused._

_“My ma,” Adrien helped. “Under the miniature forest over there.”_

_Ladybug stepped up and her hands pushed back the moss and vines. Just below the surface she found glass. Beneath the glass lay a woman so well preserved she only looked to be sleeping._

_“Sorry, Tikki,” Marinette whispered as she removed her earrings and let them sit atop the glass. Magic swirled around her and her suit melted away to reveal the still-masked girl beneath._

_“Smart,” Hawkmoth praised with a smirk, then motioned for her to step away. He released Rena Rouge as soon as he was pleased with the distance, and the fox scampered into her best friend’s arms._

_Marinette tugged Rena back to the group, the five now huddling together behind Carapace. His shield hung at his side._

_Hawkmoth stalked towards the casket. He snatched up the earrings with an expression that could only be described as maniacal. His gloved fingers glided across the glass in a moment of tenderness, ruined by his insane smile._

_“Nino,” Marinette whispered below her breath and the man gave the tiniest of nods. He hefted his shield slightly and shifted his stance into defence._

_“Emilie, darling,” Hawkmoth sobbed out. “You’ll be with me soon, my dear!”_

_He pulled a silver ring, Adrien’s ring, from his pocket. He raised it and the earrings together. A spark jumped between his hands and the miraculouses flew towards each other._

_“Rampart!” Carapace cried out and his shield was up in front of them. A giant green bubble encapsulated the team as the miraculouses emanated blinding light._

_“What are you-?!” Hawkmoth turned to see the heroes safe in their barricade and realisation dawned on him. His life was slipping away, being sucked into the miraculouses._

_Adrien would never be able to forget his father’s screams, nor the pain in his eyes._

_Moments later silence descended upon the cavern. The team blinked away the stars from their eyes. A glittery dust and three miraculouses fell from where Gabriel Agreste had stood._

_Carapace dropped the shield and Adrien stumbled forward out of Queen Bee’s arms._

_“Father!” he cried, dropping to the ground where Gabriel had been last seen._

_“Sorry, bro,” Carapace came to kneel beside his friend. “He’s gone. Nothing can be made from nothing, you know? He’s just… cosmic ashes now.”_

_Queen Bee fluttered forth to investigate the dust falling around them. “Ew, this is Gabe? I-ah… Sorry, Adrien,” she added quickly._

_Blond glanced up to blonde without any judgement and offered a quivering smile. “It’s okay,” he told her as he leaned into Carapace’s side. But he shot back up dizzyingly a moment later. “You said something can’t be created without sacrifice?” he demanded of the turtle, who numbly nodded._

_Every head turned towards the glass casket, that now, from within, had condensation growing and fading around the occupant’s face._

_“Do you think he did it?” Marinette asked Rena, holding each other._

_“Ma!” Adrien choked and stumbled forward. Carapace held him up. “We have to get her out of there! Quick, Plagg! Plagg?”_

_Queen Bee scooped up the miraculouses from the ground and dusted them off. She handed the ring to Adrien who slipped it on and called his kwami to transform him. She quietly returned Ladybug’s to her._

_Chat Noir was helped up by Carapace, and the two limped to the casket._

_“Cataclysm!” Chat Noir called in a final burst of energy and the glass coffin eroded away to free the woman inside._

_The woman blinked open tired eyes as Adrien dropped the magic. He couldn’t sustain it nor being upright, and he fell against the woman’s chest. Plagg dropped thankfully atop Adrien’s head._

_“Ma,” he sobbed softly, weeping openly as long and tired arms wrapped around him._

_“Adrien, my sweet,” came her honey sweet voice into his hair. “What’s wrong? Who are-?”_

_Her fatigued green eyes looked up around at her surroundings. The vines had spilt in around them, nestling them in the foliage. The heroes stood around them._

_“Where’s your father, darling?” she asked when no one would meet her questioning gaze. Adrien sobbed in reply and she held her son tighter._

_“Sorry, Mrs. Agreste,” Marinette said as she slipped her earrings back on and Tikki reappeared. “Gabriel…” She glanced away instead of finishing._

_“I see.” She couldn’t think of how to respond to such news. Her husband was dead, her son looked years older, and she was surrounded by strangers who all seemed to hold-_

_“Where’s Duusu?” she suddenly asked, her hand flying to her chest._

_“Duusu?” Rena Rouge asked, her voice hoarse._

_Carapace felt dread crawl into his bones. “The peacock miraculous.”_  
  
“Emilie’s in hospital now,” Nino told Nathanael. “And Gabriel just doesn’t exist anymore. Hawkmoth’s gone. So’s my only family, and… now we have another wayward miraculous.”

“Fuck,” Nathanael replied, shock lifting as Nino addressed him. “That’s some heavy shit.”

“Yeah, dude. Adrien’s not taking it brilliantly, but he’s got his ma back. So that’s a plus I guess? Oh, right, Nath man. I gotta ask a favour.”

“With all that on your plate, anything. I’ll help any way I can, dude.”

Nino stepped up from the table and was gone for a minute. Nathanael was about to get up and follow awkwardly when he returned, hands cupped in front of him. He sat back down and showed Nathanael.

In his hands was a shivering, tiny lavender butterfly-like creature, and beside it a deeply toned smooth brooch. 

“This is Nooroo,” Nino spoke calmly, but even the gentle tone had the creature jumping. “Little dude’s been through hell and back with Gabriel. I can’t think of someone more understanding of this shit than you.”

Nathanael took a second to understand what Nino was asking, and he smiled gently. “Yeah, sure,” he replied and offered a hand out. “Glad to know my abuse comes in useful,” he added as a joke.

Nooroo hesitantly fluttered from Nino’s hands to sit on the table between them. He didn’t touch the ginger, and Nath made no move to touch him.

Nino handed over the jewel and Nath pinned it to his PJ shirt beneath his jacket.

“I won’t use him for anything,” Nathanael swore. “I promise, Nooroo. We can just be friends. No one is ever going to use you like that again.”

Nino knew he’d made the right choice. Nathanael was someone he wanted on their side, and he’d be able to give what Nooroo needed most, understanding compassion. With the right training, Nathanael would become an amazing hero.

“I just need to ask, did Alya or Marinette really tell you what happened before the battle? The kiss and the promise and all that?”

Nino snorted, a grin covering his features. “Alya told me she kissed Mari, that’s it. I pieced the rest together from their gooey as fuck expressions.”


	2. Chapter 2

Six years, four months, eight days later.

“You eaten, dude?” Nathanael asked as he passed Nino who was spread out on the floor surrounded by books. The same books had been there for the past three months. Every few days a page would be turned in one or another as Nino decoded the ancient texts. That had been his life for most of the last six years.

“Yup,” Nino mumbled in reply with his brow furrowed.

“When?” Nathanael stopped in the doorway. His eyes danced over the books, already feeling anxious at the strange language. Nath had tried to help Nino in the early days, but something about the squiggles had the ginger feeling ill and nauseous. Wayzz explained that only the Guardian was privy to the tomes. 

“I think it was at twelve or something,” Nino responded without looking up at first. He did when Nathanael sighed.

“It’s nearly seven, man,” he told his golden eyed friend. “Get up, please. And stretch, for kwami’s sakes. I’ll heat something up before I go.”

Nathanael left his friend and housemate grumbling on the bamboo floor in their living room to find leftovers for the man. 

_“Nino, please, you need to eat,” Nathanael begged his young friend. “What if I made you something?”_

_Nino didn’t answer. He stared at the shelves upon shelves of books that covered  
Fu’s walls. Every single one held a whole wealth of information, if only he could read them. If only he could find all the answers in those pages. If only if he could fix all their problems._

_“Here, drink this,” Nathanael broke Nino from his thoughts as he pushed a mug of something hot into Nino’s hands. “Dude, please. Wayzz was really worried about you. He said you started crying and wouldn’t stop. Another anxiety attack?”_

_Nino nodded and shakily sipped at the drink. It was like a warm hug from the inside and it had the young man relaxing ever so slightly._

_“You don’t gotta know it all yet, Neens,” Nathanael said and gently tugged Nino from the office. “Eventually, okay? When we get everything else sorted out.”_

“You get last night’s soup,” Nathanael told his friend when the brunet finally emerged and stumbled into the kitchen. Nath set the bowl into the microwave and hit start.

“Thanks, man. What would I do without you?” Nino snaked his arms around the lean torso of his friend and rested his face in between toned shoulders.

“You’d starve, both from lack of food and hugs,” Nathanael laughed and swivelled to catch Nino in his arms. 

“You’re not wrong,” Nino scoffed and burrowed his way further into Nathanael’s hold. Nathanael held him until the microwave demanded their attention. 

“Have you decoded anything today?” the ginger asked hopefully as he stirred the soup and pulled bread from the pantry. He quickly buttered and cut it while Nino replied.

“Only that Wielders can change their suits at will,” Nino sighed. Now that he was Nathanael-less, he leaned on the bench and stretched out his back. “All ya gotta do is say pretty please to your kwami.” 

“When we first meet our holders, we find in their mind what they see a hero to truly be,” Nooroo spoke up in a subdued tone. He fluttered in from his Wielder’s bedroom where he’d been happily snoozing by the computer. 

“But we can change the suits?” Nathanael asked as ideas swam around in his mind. His eyes glazed over for a few long moments before his cheeks reddened. “A-any limitations?”

Nino pursed his lips. “Not that I found, nope.” He held back a chuckle at his friend’s expression. 

Nathanael nodded after a second and pushed Nino his food, which had been forgotten in lieu of daydreaming. He left Nino to collect his bag from his room. 

“Wayzz!” Nathanael called out, returning to their lounge room and finding the turtle kwami in his own little paradise, a fish tank perfectly made for an average turtle, complete with guppies and an old goldfish. “Look after Nino, ‘kay? No more studying tonight. And feed William before he eats the little ones again.”

The tiny green god emerged from the tank, dripping and nodding. “Of course,” he replied. 

“Nath! C’mon, man,” Nino complained as he followed the voices, soup in his hands. “You know I need to. Those books don’t just give up their secrets, ya know. Someone’s gotta read them.”

“Yeah, I know,” Nathanael replied firmly. “But you’re pushing yourself too far again. I’m not letting you get bad again.”

Nino didn’t reply straight away. His friend was right, of course, and Nathanael had looked after him through the last time he’d burned out.

“You’re as bad as my ma was,” he accused instead of fighting, a tiny smile on his lips. 

“Yup,” Nathanael replied with a warmer smile. He nudged Nino to the couch and handed him the remotes for the television. “Watch something, play a game, message Luka. Anything that’s not studying. Wayzz, you’re in charge.”

Nino rolled his eyes.

Wayzz had gone back to swimming.

“Go,” Nino ordered his friend with a laugh. “Go be Batman. Save your Lois Lane, protect Riverdale. Just be back before sunrise, dork.”

“Lois Lane can save herself,” Nathanael uttered with his cheeks pinkening again.

___

 

“I wish everyone would just live in peace,” Phoenix spoke into the night air. The breeze was bitter against his face, but he relished in the sensation. 

_The scrawny sixteen year old doubled over as Rena Rouge’s light punch caught his gut. The wind was knocked from Nathanael’s lungs, and not for the first time that day._

_“Shit, sorry, Nath!” Rena Rouge cringed and rushed to help brace Nathanael. He pushed her off with a tiny grim smile and stood straight. A wince took over his features but he ignored the pain._

_“It’s fine. I didn’t move in time,” the ginger replied. “It’s fine, Rena. Again.”_

“Not that I don’t like doing this. I love being out here late at night, losing sleep, going home and Nino stitching me up.”

“That’s dumb,” Rena Rouge replied and screwed up her lips. “For one, peace can’t exist. At least not on a global scale. There’s always some bigot in charge with too much power.”

“The opposite of war isn’t peace; it’s creation,” Chat Noir countered with a smirk.

The three heroes sat on a roof, their legs hanging over the edge of the tall building. Their eyes and ears scanned the city from their perch.  
While the average person in their early twenties would be spending the Friday night at a bar or club, maybe on a date, perhaps studying for school; Adrien, Alya, and Nathanael spent their Fridays much differently. Most of the petty crime happened late in the week after all.

“That’s deep,” the ginger hero mused.

“Who’s talking about war, Chat?” Rena asked, rolling her sparkling taupe eyes skyward. “We’re talking about criminals not being dicks long enough for us not to have to do this every single week.”

Chat Noir pouted for multiple reasons. 

“At least the city is safer without akumas,” Phoenix pointed out and the other two shuddered violently. 

“You never had to fight one,” Chat responded.

“You never were one, Sunshine,” Rena counted and reached across to tap Chat Noir on the nose playfully. “Thank whatever god that you weren’t.” Phoenix found himself nodding quickly in agreement.

The cat cringed and ducked his head apologetically, making Rena pity the man and ruffle his hair in a playful and affectionate gesture.

“You guys are adorable,” Phoenix laughed as he watched the two. “Maybe you should date.”

The two glanced at each other. Chat Noir snorted. Rena Rouge pushed Phoenix back against the roof.

“Please,” she replied with another roll of her eyes. “I already have to live with him!”

“Yeah, she’s basically my sister!”

“Er,” Rena turned on the cat. “That’s gross."

"Come on, Als," Phoenix tried to continue the conversation, but Rena Rouge's hand was quickly held up to silence him. 

“Shit, sorry, Rena,” he started, but quickly shut himself up when he noticed both heroes had their ears turned to the wind.

Phoenix closed his eyes and attempted to focus his hearing, to try and hear what they could. He couldn’t; not only was he not magically transformed, but the others had kwamis that echoed real animals with hearing far beyond a human’s. Instead of forcing it, he waited for one of the others to inform him.

Chat Noir was on his feet first, his partners following his lead, and the trio launched themselves towards the cries for help.

_“Can you keep up, Nathanael?” Chat asked kindly on that very first night out._

_The ginger was clad in all black; boots with too many buckles, easy to move in combat trousers, Kevlar vest over long sleeves, and a scarf that covered his face from the nose down. Scared eyes peered out from beneath the shock of red hair. He nodded._

_“If you get stuck, or need help, just scream, okay?”_

_Nathanael nodded again. He swallowed hard and moved to ready himself._

_“Remember, duck and roll to absorb the impact,” Carapace called out from behind him._

_“And remember not to think too much!” Rena Rouge added._

_“And don’t not think,” Carapace countered with a little glare at the woman._

_“Guys,” Chat Noir called out to the other heroes to silence them. He turned back to Nathanael. “All you have to do is run.”_

_Run._

_Run and jump and tumble._

_Repeat._

_Nathanael took one last breath and ran._

Phoenix landed, feet solid against the bricks, and rolled into a tumble. A heart beat later he was on his feet again and running. Chat Noir was in the lead, vaulting over the streets. Phoenix was right on his tail, quite literally, and Rena wasn’t far behind them.

The three paused above the scene. Two men, one with a knife, had cornered a terrified couple. The criminals had pushed their victims into a dead end of an alley, trapping them and demanding valuables, blade raised toward throats.

Rena Rouge made no hesitation. She dropped down behind one man. Using her flute, she bludgeoned him in the back. He stumbled with a shout and turned to find the heroine grinning. His accomplice was quick to check what was wrong.

Phoenix carefully aimed his slingshot and let rain a storm of steel ball bearings on the criminals. The men ducked and cried out in pain. Rena Rouge clubbed the same man again, sending him to his knees. 

Chat Noir finally dropped into the fray, and in one sweep had the knife knocked away. He stood between the muggers and the victims, keeping them safe as Phoenix dropped in.

It took the trio only seconds to have both criminals on the ground. Rena had her flute pressed against one’s jugular. Phoenix had his boot on the other’s chest. 

With both perpetrators defeated on the ground, Chat Noir sheathed his staff and turned to the civilians.

“Sorry about that,” he told the couple, who were equally shocked and impressed. They thanked the trio several times while Chat Noir lead them back onto the lit streets. As he talked to them, Rena grabbed the shirt front of her miscreant. She wrenched him up and thrust him against the brick wall. A fist was raised and ready to fly when a sharp voice cut her away from delivering justice.

Chat Noir had returned to his partners, just as the voice rang in their ears.

“I can’t BEE-lieve her timing!”

“Fuck,” Rena Rouge muttered in frustration. Phoenix’s reaction was entirely different, if the smile he was trying to hide was anything to go by.

“You did all the work for me,” Queen Bee sung with a laugh on her lips. She sauntered into the alley with all the grace of the queen she claimed to be. “Thank you, but I can take care of them now.”

“No way,” the fox heroine protested. “We found these, we get to beat them to a pulp.”

“Rena,” Chat Noir murmured in warning.

_Nathanael sat by himself atop a roof, relishing in the quiet night after the long day of training. He was sore. He was tired. He ached in muscles he hadn’t known existed. But it all felt amazing._

_He’d kept his mask on, despite being alone, which turned out to be a good habit. After hours of being alone with his thoughts a yellow and black clad woman landed on his roof and padded over to study him._

_“Where have they been hiding you lately?” Queen Bee asked the ginger dressed in black. He turned to look up at her as she advanced._

_Her hips swayed in a hypnotising rhythm. Her hair bobbed in time. Her blue eyes picked up the distant light of the street lamps and gleamed in the darkness._

_“I…ah…” Nathanael found himself stammering. He couldn’t quite understand why. He KNEW who was under that mask, who those curves belonged to._

_“Chat Noir got your tongue, Red?” Queen Bee laughed softly and sat down beside him. She pulled her toned legs up against her chest, then smiled across at him._

_“I saw you earlier. You’re getting good, Red. People are noticing you.”_

_Nathanael smiled and ducked his head. It was safer not to talk if all he could do was stutter. Queen Bee didn’t seem to mind. She looked back out over the city. After some time, Nathanael found his voice._

_“Why don’t you fight with us?” he asked, startling the blonde. “You used to fight with the group, back when there were akumas.”_

_“Because, well, you guys don’t stick to the law,” she explained hesitantly, trying to find the words. “Back then it was magic, now these are just real people. And doing the right thing is great, but laws are there for a reason. I want to do the right thing, within the law. Make sense?”_

_Nathanael nodded, understanding how there might be a small difference. “We’re on the same side.”_

_“We are, yes,” Queen Bee replied and pursed her lips. “But you guys like to deal out justice without due process under the law and without the opportunity for the accused to be judged by neutral peers. You just… punch people.”_

_“We save people,” Nathanael answered with a frown. Queen Bee seemed to know what she was talking about. He looked up at the woman again. “We’re there when the law isn’t.”_

_The heroine opened her lips but couldn’t find the words._

_“The law can’t hear what Chat Noir can,” Nathanael went on. “The law can’t move as fast as Rena Rouge. We stop so much more than the law does.”_

“Yeah, yeah,” Rena Rouge replied angrily and let the fiend literally fall to the pavement. She sidled up to Chat Noir who wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder. “She just always ruins my fun, Sunshine!”

“Yeah, but you know the deal,” Chat reminded her and tapped the tip of Rena’s nose. 

“Gotta hand the crims over to Queenie, I know, I know,” Rena Rouge whined. She’d hand them over, but she wasn’t going to help any further.

Phoenix was happy to help though, even as his partners stood off to the side. He hefted his criminal to their feet and pushed the man towards the new heroine.

“Hey, Bee,” he greeted from behind his mask. The fabric muffled his voice ever so slightly.

“Hey, Red,” the blonde replied with a cheeky wink in his direction.

“Get a room!” Rena called out, still feeling rather indignant. 

Phoenix flushed while Queen Bee only rolled her eyes. Chat high-fived his partner. 

“I can’t believe you work with these animals, Red,” Queen Bee teased.

“Look who’s taking, Bee,” Chat countered with a laugh before he left Rena’s side. He quickly began to pick up what ball bearings he could find from the ground. Rena Rouge snorted in amusement.

“Whatever,” the blonde retorted with a huff.

The heroine reached for the belt at her waist, police issued. Phoenix found his eyes training on her slim fingers gliding over the metal. Queen Bee produced two sets of handcuffs and then cuffed the man she held. She tossed a set to Phoenix, her own gaze stealing a glance at the muscles that rippled beneath his thin sleeves.

“You both have the right to remain silent,” Queen Bee started and gave an abridged version of their rights. After all, she wasn’t a police officer. Only a civilian consultant. “You both can rest assured that you will be charged with assault with a deadly weapon, attempted rape—”

“We only mugged them!” the man in Phoenix’s hold yelped, causing Queen Bee to smirk wildly. Even Rena couldn’t fault the tactic.

“Shut the fuck up, Jacob,” the criminal Queen Bee held quipped. “She can’t lead you like that. I know the law, that’s speculation.”

The lithe woman laughed, haughty and knowing. “I’m not an officer. I can do what I like,” she told him and wrenched at his arms to cause him discomfort. Phoenix knew she wouldn’t do much more than that.

“As much as I would love to see you have a tea party with these pricks, I’m getting bored,” Rena stated, finally having enough. She knew that her particular brand of justice just wasn’t going to happen tonight, that there was no real reason for her to be hanging around anymore. “Phoe, why don’t you help Queenie arrest the creeps. We’ll see you back at yours later, ‘kay?”

The ginger didn’t have a chance to reply as he saw Chat’s eyes light up. Nino hadn’t been out much lately, leaving Adrien a little bit friendless around work.

“Carapace is at home,” Phoenix confirmed for Chat’s benefit. “And he’s not allowed to be studying, okay? So if you see him in a book, tell him off.”

“Got it!” Chat Noir chimed. He didn’t wait for anything more. A clawed hand encircled Rena’s waist and pulled her close, and the two were lifted into the air by Chat’s staff. Then they were gone.

“They’re helpful,” Queen Bee muttered as she reached for the radio at her belt. She called in her location and a squad car was sent their way.

“You know they have their own brand of punishment,” Phoenix replied evenly. He nudged the arrested man to the ground and left him sitting against a wall. Queen Bee followed suit.

“Which is illegal,” she reminded him with a stern gaze that Phoenix ignored. “Transitioning from akuma to petty criminals was hard on them.”

“I did it easily.”

“You weren’t in it for as long as them.”

“It’s been years.”

“So?” Phoenix crossed his arms over his chest. Queen Bee followed the action out of the corner of her eyes. “They feel like the justice system isn’t as good as it should be, and judgement day is too far away. They stand up because that’s what the people of Paris want. Crime rates dropped significantly because of us, and you know it.”

The woman remained silent for a whole beat before giving a begrudging sigh. “Look, I know our justice system isn’t perfect at all, okay?” she admitted and turned to face the ginger. “And I’m not saying you’re wrong. Just... someone has to work with the law, to convince the higher ups that you’re still with us.”

“I’m still with you, Bee,” Phoenix offered tenderly. There was more behind his words than their current conversation, they both knew. His entire posture softened.

“I know, Red,” she said and offered a delicate smile. “So, try not to make my job a total nightmare, okay?”

Phoenix chuckled softly and smiled in return. Queen Bee melted from within as his eyes danced.

“No promises, Bee. Someone has to keep you on your toes.”

Before any flirting could continue, a police car pulled up on the street and two officers entered the alley. Phoenix let Queen Bee do her job, watching from the sidelines. She certainly knew what she was doing, he could see that. But he supposed she would have to, now with two years of law studies under her belt.

The criminals were escorted to the car; Queen Bee made her statement, written out as quickly as she could; and then the car was gone. 

“Got any plans tonight, Queenie?” Phoenix asked as he strode out to the street.

“None that didn’t involve following you,” she admitted confidently. Her eyes raked up his body purposefully. 

“You mean, following us?” Phoenix asked, though he knew that wasn’t quite right.

“Not anymore,” the blonde countered and took a step to close the distance between them. Her deft fingers walked up his chest and lingered on the scarf.

“You have no clue how much I want to rip that off your stupid face,” she whispered lowly.

“Oh, I have an idea.” Nathanael wanted nothing more than to be able to kiss the woman right there. His gloved hands slid across her waist. “Want to get out of here?”

Their destination didn’t need to be said, both knew without a word. 

_Emilie lead the group of young heroes inside. Nothing was said as they all crowded into the elevator and the woman pressed the button for the top floor. Excitement was electric amongst the teens, it could be seen with the gleeful smiles and eyes glowing._

_The band of heroes poured out of the doors, swarming into a very swish appearing meeting room. The group milled around the large table, finding enough places for each of them._

_“Thank fuck you have some style sense!” Queen Bee said as she dropped into one of the places. “Holy shit, these are comfy!”_

_“We have no need for comfy chairs,” Chat Noir chimed with a laugh, earning an eye roll from those who understood the reference. Despite his claim, he dropped down to sit across from Queen Bee._

_“There’s like, six gaming stations!” Carapace cried out from across the room. He had gone to explore, quickly finding the television that took up an entire wall, and several large sofas with plush throw pillows._

_“And a whole freaking hospital!” Rena Rouge called from another room. She gazed along the shelves of medical instruments, medications, and much more. The entire room felt sterile._

_“Not quite the entire hospital, Rena,” Emilie replied with a soft laugh. Ladybug stood at the woman’s side, silently watching her friends. Nathanael stood to her right with Nooroo sitting on his slim shoulder, a large hoodie obscuring his features._

_“This is your new headquarters,” Emilie went on to explain. She found her own seat and watched the group explore. “There’s also a kitchen and bathroom. Everything is paid for, and it’s all yours.”_

_Carapace stopped gawking at the entertainment and turned to the woman in surprise. “Er… what?”_

_“Yup,” Chat Noir spoke up with a smile. He lounged in his chair, feet up on the table. “Agreste Hero Foundation. We’re working on making our name look good again. After Father… well, the world doesn’t like a name associated with Hawk Moth. Plus, I’m a hero. What’s better to spend my money on?”_

_“But Dri,” Carapace said as he returned to his best friend’s side. “You don’t have to do any of that. Everyone loves you, no matter what crap your dad did.”_

_“I know,” the cat replied and clapped a hand on Carapace’s arm. “But now we have a swanky HQ! And the fund is gonna pay for you to be Guardian!”_

_Carapace stared at Chat with wide eyes. “Wh-wh-what!??”_

_Ladybug cut in with a sad little smile. “And any of you who works with the group to keep peace in the city.” Her gaze landed on each of them in turn._

_Rena Rouge sidled up to the woman in red and slipped her arms around her waist from behind. “So, even though there’s no Hawk Moth, we still get to be heroes? I thought maybe the miraculouses would be put back into the box or something.”_

_The turtle hero leaned his hands on the table. “There’s still a miraculous out there,” he pointed out. “As long as it’s not with us, it might not be safe to hang up the capes completely. Plus, I really don’t think it’d be good for Nooroo to be totally alone again so soon.”_

_Nathanael pet the little god’s head, who jolted before accepting the contact. He was slowly coming to accept Nath, but they had a long way to go yet._

_“I’m not ready to give this up,” Queen Bee voiced. “And protecting the kwamis is great, but who’s the skinny kid?”_

_“I told you not to ask, Queen Bee,” Carapace was quick to cut in with a stern expression._

_“Yeah, no. I’m not bowing to you just because you’re the Guardian or whatever.”_

_“He’s someone I trust, okay?”_

_“Cool. Trust. But who is he? He’s obviously not a hero, or he’d be transformed like the rest of us!”_

_“He’s got a kwami, Bee,” Chat Noir pointed out, literally shoving a finger towards the purple creature by Nathanael’s chin. Both kwami and wielder shied from the attention. “He’s a hero. He’s just in training.”_

_“And I don’t intend to use Nooroo,” Nathanael spoke up. His voice wavered, but Nino sent him a kind smile. “Not unless he wants to. ‘Cause he went through hell with Hawk Moth and I’m not letting him get hurt again, okay?”_

_“So, you’re not a hero.”_

_“A real hero wouldn’t be bullying him,” Chat Noir said. Queen Bee’s expression fell as she was chastised._

_“I am!” Nathanael squared his shoulders. His face remained downcast, hiding his face from everyone. “I’m a hero, or I’m gonna be. You don’t need magic to be a hero. You just need a good heart.”_

_Silence swept the room, all eyes falling on the bee to hear her expected rebuttal._

_“Whatever,” she finally said and attention turned away from her. She studied the odd teen standing off to the side of everything. Something about him intrigued her._

_“Enough of who is and isn’t a hero,” Rena said into the silence. She squeezed the woman in her arms gently. “Bug has some news.”_

_Chat Noir frowned, both at how physically close the two were and upon hearing that Rena Rouge knew something about his Ladybug that he didn’t. How close had they gotten in the few short months after that battle? Closer than he liked, that was certain._

_“Well, umm,” the blunette uncharacteristically mumbled._

_Adrien’s mind suddenly crashed. They had to be dating! Or engaged. What if they were already married?! Or pregnant! Chat frowned as he had to remind himself that both were women and unable to do the last in such a short amount of time unaided. But magic had done stranger things. They seemed so close though, and that infuriated the blond._

_“I’m not giving up entirely,” Ladybug started, breaking Chat from his thoughts. This was worse. “I just want to focus on my career. I just got a huge opportunity and hero work always got in the way of school and it was hell to try and juggle everything.”_

_She babbled along until Rena Rouge nudged her, stopping the rambling words. “Right, sorry. Point is that I’m not totally giving up. I’ll keep Tikki but I won’t be coming out anymore. But if there’s something huge, you can call me for help, please don’t think I’m abandoning you.”_

_“We can handle everything,” Rena said when Ladybug finished. “Right, guys? There’s no more Hawk Moth, no more magical villains. Hell, we hardly have to do anything! But we still get to be heroes, and Bug gets to focus on the career she’s always dreamed of.”_

_Chat Noir was silent. How much did Rena Rouge know?!_

“You’re home early,” Nino snickered from the couch, snuggled in a blanket between Adrien and Alya, both of whom were also stifling teasing smiles.

“She got called in for work,” Nathanael explained as he dragged a hand through his dishevelled hair.

“Looks like you had a bit of fun at least,” Nino taunted. Nathanael glared lightly before unstrapping himself from the heavier items of his suit. Boots fell to the floor along with the vest and mask.

“Yeah, we did. More than you’re getting,” Nath retorted. He sat down on the couch next to Adrien. Nino had the gall to act offended, which earned a barking laugh from Alya. “What did I miss?”

“Not much, we’re talking about Mari’s new line,” Adrien replied. “And she’s doing amazing work!”

“You just say that ‘cause you’re in love with her,” Alya accused. She bit back a chuckle at the expression Adrien tossed her. 

“Like you can talk,” he replied with a pointed look.

“You know I’m in between you, right?” Nino asked from within the competitive pair. “If you want to fuck, use the bedroom. Preferably Nath’s.”

“Hey!”

“What? Mine has books everywhere. Think of the cum stains!”

Alya and Adrien remained oddly quiet. Nathanael and Nino shared a look and were instantly seeking an answer.

“You guys are!” Nino cried after further awkward silence. “Holy shit, you guys are fucking! What does Marinette think?”

“Hang on,” Nathanael said, pausing his friend’s celebration. “Are you guys having sex together WITH Marinette, or without?”

Adrien finally answered. “Both,” he said.

Alya nodded. “Both.”

“Both.” Adrien saw his chance. “Both is good.” The reference earned him a playful smack from one of his girlfriends.


	3. Chapter 3

The garage, turned makeshift show venue, was bursting with sound. The band onstage was unknown enough that hipsters would grow hard with the sense of self superiority that came from just mentioning them. The sea of people had crammed themselves inside the minimal space the garage had, jumping and dancing to the music on offer. Within that place, in the corner furthest from the stage, sat Nathanael and Nino on one of the several dilapidated sofas dotting the edges of the show 

“Man, he’s really killing it tonight,” Nino commented, an impressed gaze locked onto the band’s guitarist, Luka Couffaine.

Nathanael sent his best friend a knowing look, one that earned him an elbow to the ribs to which he replied with a laugh.

“Oh, come on. Do you think I’m blind?”

_“Man, he’s really killing it tonight,” Nino commented with a huge grin plastered across his face._

_Nathanael, huddled into Nino’s side, looked up at the band onstage. The music swamped their senses, filling them with an odd power that could only come from Luka’s talent._

_“You say that everytime, Nino,” Nathanael laughed, and Nino screwed up his nose for half a second._

_“Well, I…,” the brunet stammered as he found Nathanael was right. “I mean it even more this time, okay?”_

Nino didn’t reply, instead opting to deliver another elbow to Nathanael’s ribs as the playing came to an end and Luka’s band stepped off stage. They exchanged high fives with the next act, before breaking apart and shifting into the crowd.

Luka spotted his friends near instantly, an easy smile pulling at his lips as he made his way towards Nathanael and Nino.

“So, you two made it after all,” he affectionately teased the pair while sitting himself down next to Nino, who had shuffled along to make room for his favourite musician. Poor Nath ended up squished at the other end of the couch, yet he didn’t hold it against him. How could he when Nino was actually smiling brightly in a way he hadn’t seen in a while.

“You think we’d ever miss you playing?” Nino retorted with a tired laugh, one that overflowed with a brilliant warmth despite that.

“You did last week.” Luka raised a brow, somehow managing to come off as casual and kind despite the accusation. He almost felt he should have been bothered by them missing the last show, even when Nino had been so enthusiastic about it. But no, he wasn’t that kind of guy, or at least Nino had never known him to be.

“I was… busy.”

_Carapace sprinted after Chat Noir. It had been too long since he’d been out fighting crime, but Alya was down for the count and the team that was left had needed the extra member._

_The turtle lept from the rooftop, throwing down his shield onto the electrical wires and used them to surf above the street. He followed his friends as they passed by the throbbing musical hub of Luka’s garage show, towards the danger they were forced to intervene with._

_“Fuck. Luka… Sorry, man,” Nino said to himself as he surfed by._

“I know. I don’t hold it against you, DJ. You don’t have to come to all my shows, neither of you do.”

Nathanael knew that. They both knew that. Yet they made an effort to come to each and every show that Luka played, or at least the ones that weren’t paid gigs for parties or restaurants.

“You’re our friend, Luka,” Nathanael had to say. “We like seeing you play, and you know how Nino is with music, especi-” before Nathanael could even finish his sentence he had an elbow in his side. Nino was shooting him a desperate look that just screamed ‘shut the hell up, man!’

“Especially unknown bands!” Nino cut in with. “You know I’m all for supporting those who haven’t made it yet. It’s cool to see people playing just ‘cause they’re passionate, ya know?”   
He felt himself nearly melt as Luka laughed, the sound sweeter to him than any music he’d ever created.

Oh man, was he ever screwed. He wasn’t quite sure when these feelings had surfaced, when he’d found himself starting to fall for the easy-going guitarist. But here Nino was, hopelessly and ridiculously falling for a friend that he felt he could never have.

Not that Luka wasn’t into dudes, no, that wasn’t the problem. He knew for a fact that Luka swung both ways. Heck, they often wingmanned for each other, helping them to find the one… for the night, at least. The amount of one night stands they’d helped the other set up was kinda ridiculous.

So no, that wasn’t the issue. No. The problem was split between the usual inane worries and a deep, sleep robbing fear that Nino felt entirely trapped by.  
Between ‘I really don’t wanna fuck up the friendship’ and ‘being the guardian is a highly stressful job and I feel entirely lost and overwhelmed and I barely have time for friends. I’m never gonna be able to have a successful, proper relationship, especially because no civilians are meant to know about the miraculous and that’s my WHOLE FRICKEN LIFE NOW’.

… Yeah, so that wasn’t ever gonna go anywhere.

Yet still Nino sat there, a soft sigh falling from his lips as he listened to Luka go on about how he agreed, about how important the passion of a young musician was. To anyone but them, it was obvious how he felt, as he stared at Luka with a lovesick gaze, one tinged with weeks of exhaustion.

The exhaustion was the one thing that didn’t go unnoticed by their rocker friend, who paused as he leant in close to Nino with his eyes narrowing.

“You look…dead. Actually, both of you do. I didn’t know art school and odd jobs were so exhausting!” Luka half joked with an easy laugh, one that was nervously mirrored by Nathanael and Nino. The less the guitarist knew, the better.

“You know how life can be, L-” Before Nath could even finish, he heard his phone give a buzz. It was pulled from his jacket pocket at lightning speed, concern that something was wrong filling him with dread. Was there some serious shit going down that Adrien and Alya needed him for? Had one of them gotten hurt? Was Nooroo freaking out from back at home, where he always stayed when Nathanael went out to such loud places?

No. It was just Queen Bee with her usual flirtatious teasing. He felt his cheeks start to burn, and suddenly all the attention was on him.

“Your girlfriend messaging you, Nath?” Nino teased with a knowing look, drawing a snicker from Luka, which he failed to smother.

“I didn’t know you were dating,” Luka added with a grin, causing Nathanael’s cheeks to darken further. His gaze dropped back down to his phone and he furiously typed back to the bee themed heroine.

“Not my girlfriend,” he muttered, despite kind of maybe wishing that was true. Kind of. Well, he’d like her to be SOMETHING with him. 

There was a small chorus of snickers from his friends, of which he ignored in favour of pushing himself up.

“I’ve got to go. Sorry, but it’s kind of an emergency,” Nathanael said in a slight hurry, throwing his friends an apologetic smile. Nino simply nodded, understanding, while Luka just threw him a thumbs up.

“See ya around, man.”

“Don’t make bad choices!” 

The redhead threw a wave to Luka and flipped the bird to Nino, before disappearing into the crowd and into the night.

There was a moment of silence left in Nathanael’s absence, that was only broken by the sounds of people cheering from up by the makeshift stage.

“He left fast,” Luka eventually said, to which Nino replied with an awkward laugh.

“Yeah. That happens. He’s, uh, he’s got a lot on his plate.” Which wasn’t technically a lie, Nath DID have a lot to deal with.

Thankfully Luka didn’t push it any further, accepting that with a slight nod.

“And what about you, Nino? I know I asked earlier and you just laughed it off with Nathanael, but you really look exhausted. Is everything okay?”

At that Nino dropped his gaze down to his beat up sneakers, faded and scuffed from years of constant use. He couldn’t exactly tell the truth, could he? Lying was never something he was a fan of, especially when he had to do it. But he couldn’t just tell Luka that he was suffocating under the responsibilities and stresses of a job he’d never asked for, of being the person meant to protect a box of jewellery so powerful that its misuse could result in a lot of people getting hurt… or worse. That there was thousands of years of knowledge that could help that he trying to decipher, that he’d never been properly for.

Not to mention the years upon years of repressed anguish over not only the death of his beloved godfather and mentor, but the death of his parents back when he a child and too young to really understand what had been going on and why it had happened.

Add to that a shit ton of anxiety that made it hard to sleep and panic attacks that came out of nowhere, leaving a frazzled mess that Nathanael had to pick up, and it was obvious as to why he was stressed out of his mind.

All of this and he couldn’t tell Luka a single word of it.

“I’ve just been pushing myself more than I probably should lately. Don’t worry, dude, Nath’s been making sure I rest, okay?” Nino eventually settled on, voice dripping with enough exhaustion that it had Luka more than a little concerned.

“Well… okay,” Luka replied, laying a comforting hand upon Nino’s shoulder. “But you know that you can always talk to me, right? You’re a real good friend of mine, Nino. I don’t like seeing you look so stressed out, like the world is trying to crush you.”   
He sighed, before pulling Nino in for a sudden and yet genuine hug, both arms around him tight. There was a beat of silence, before Nino relaxed into the embrace, arms sliding around Luka in turn.

“Thanks, ma- Luka. Thank you, Luka,” he muttered into the other’s shoulder, face buried in his fashionably tattered jacket and just allowing himself a moment to pretend. If only they could stay like this forever, Nino thought, before near instantly dismissing the thought as Adrien levels of sappy.   
Heh, and Gabriel had thought HE was the bad influence.

“Anytime, dude,” Luka replied into Nino’s lengthening hair. “And, I get it. It's not something you can tell me, right?”

Nino jolted up to meet Luka's ocean like eyes. 

“It's cool. Everyone's got secrets. I've got secrets too. But you know what I really love? Sandwiches.” 

Nino, arms still loosely hanging around Luka, looked at the man sceptically. 

“Yeah. Sandwiches,” the man went on. “I like sandwiches with lots and lots of layers, so it becomes so heavy that it crushes everything and you need to rest after eating it.” 

Nino was coming to understand, a laughing smile spread over his face as he shook his head. 

_Luka grinned at the man he'd just become friends with. Nino grinned back, their hands clasped between them in a new ritualistic handshake._

_“We are the bite, man!” Luka crowed with excitement, oh so looking forward to the music they planned to make together._

_“The what now?” Nino had to ask. “The bite?”_

_“It's a metaphor,” Luka explained, unfazed. “Like biting something good.”_

“You're insane, Luka,” he chided. “This is nothing like a sandwich.”

“You sure?” Luka asked. “‘Cause a sandwich has bread, the stable parts, sauce to make everything gooey, and lots of random things that just make life, aka the sandwich, hard to understand.”

“Sandwich metaphor?”

“Sandwich metaphor,” Luka confirmed.

“Yeah, well, my sandwich is a freaking mess,” Nino retorted, eyes rolling. “Like, I didn’t ASK for this sandwich. But hey, I’ve got it! I mean, I don’t hate it, ya know? I just thought I wouldn’t have to eat this sandwich so soon. I thought I’d be a lot older. Yet here I am, stuck with it.”

Nino let out a heavy sigh, dropping right back into Luka’s welcoming arms.

“And there’s parts of the sandwich I like, heck, that I love! Parts that I’m hella lucky to have. But I… I think a lot of it is that I HAVE to eat this sandwich, that no one else but me can eat it. Plus I absolutely **have** to eat it, I can’t just abandon it,” the brunet bit down on his lip, snaking a hand up to push his glasses up onto the top of his head and letting him properly hide his face.

“It’s just a lot of stress over two pieces of bread stuffed with enough fillings to make me choke.”

That was certainly a lot, and it was clear to Luka that that probably wasn’t even half of it, even if he couldn’t exactly understand what the hell Nino was on about.

“So you’re saying you have an all you can eat buffet on your plate,” Luka said, unwrapping one arm from his friend to run a hand through his raven hair, fingers messing up the cyan blue tips. Nino always looked forward to seeing what colour the guy was gonna go next.  
“Sounds like you REALLY need a good night out. Lucky for you, Nino, you’ve got me, the second greatest wingman in history.”

Nino pulled back, glasses dropping back down onto his face, letting him catch Luka winking over at him playfully.  
“Second greatest?”

“After you, duh.”

Well that had Nino’s cheeks heating up, which he tried to hide behind a hand. 

“Cheesy ass dork,” he muttered under his breath, golden eyes flickering up and catching a bright smile spreading across Luka’s face. Nino felt his heart skip a beat, and he knew in an instant that no one night stand would ever be enough for him again. Not that they ever had been to begin with.

“I heard that, you know.” Yet all Luka did was chuckle, before pushing himself up and tugging Nino off the couch after him. “Come on, let’s find you a nice, hot guy. I think Jonas would show you a good time.”

How could Nino say no when Luka looked so happy, when he seemed so damn eager to find his friend a decent one time fuck? This was how they tended to end their nights after all, combing through the crowds of shows, finding for the other the perfect lay. Always a one night stand, never a relationship.

For Nino it had always been a small comfort, a way for him to fill his nights that would normally be spent lying alone in bed, unable to sleep. Instead he could just go home with a sexy stranger and spend a night in the guy’s bed, never his own. 

And hey, the sex was never exactly bad. Heck, he’d had some pretty mind blowing orgasms. But they always left him feeling empty in the end, as the man would pass out once it was over, leaving Nino to lie away, feeling physically sated but emotionally crappy.

“Lemme at least find you a decent fuck first,” Nino said, cursing himself for every word he was letting slip. Because really, he didn’t WANT to find Luka some cutie for the guy to take home. Not when he so desperately wanted to be that cutie, for Luka to look down at him from his two inch height advantage. When he wanted to be the person in Luka’s bed, to be the one he wanted to fuck, the fall asleep in his arms…

Damn that was sappy but DAMN was it true.

“You’re too kind,” Luka replied with an amused snort, but he let Nino lead the way.

——————

It had taken Nino roughly half an hour to find someone good enough for Luka. Or at least that amount of time for him to finally stop sulking and just let the guy go with a fairly decent cute chick.

It had taken about the same amount of time for him to go home with Jonas, to stumble through the guy’s front door as a tangled mess of lustful limbs and lips. Even as they’d ended up in Jonas’s bed with the handsome stranger all but worshiping his body and drawing shuddering moans from Nino, that surely could be heard by the people across the street. Luka was all he could think of.

Even as Jonas was plowing into him and all Nino could hope to utter was an unintelligible string of total nonsense, a breathy, raspy collection of undecipherable ‘oh FUCK’s and ‘h-heck yeah’s. He could only imagine Luka above him. Those beautiful aqua eyes gazing down at him and him alone, as though Nino were the single most stunning thing he’d ever seen. Luka's lips, hardly ever without a smile, pressing kisses to his neck and leaving behind a trail of love bites for the world to see. Luka’s hands, fingertips calloused from years of playing the guitar, digging into his hips, thumbs rubbing in soothing, apologetic circles for the marks he’d surely be leaving.

But it wasn’t Luka.  
It would NEVER be Luka.  
So when Jonas finally came, shooting his load deep inside Nino before pulling out and rolling over, muttering a groggy goodnight, Nino rolled over himself. He bit down on his lip and blinked away the tears.   
Not even the afterglow of an amazing orgasm could keep the tears from falling as he curled in on himself and silently cried into a stranger’s pillow.


	4. Chapter 4

Nathanael had to duck home first and change. Unlike the rest of the heroes, the ginger didn’t have the luxury of carrying a magical suit everywhere with him. 

“Where is Xiǎo ké?” Wayzz floated into his view as Nathanael changed from skinny jeans and a band tee into his uniform. Nooroo was right behind him.

“He’s with Luka,” Nathanael told the kwami with a smile. “He’ll be home by morning, dude. Don’t worry.” He gave the gods each a little pat before pulling up his mask and leaving the house again, this time via the upstairs window. 

On the roof he checked his phone again. Queen Bee (not his girlfriend, no matter how his friends teased him) had sent him quite a few messages in the time he’d taken to change. There was even a picture of her, a selfie with lustful eyes peering into his soul from behind her mask.

He shot her one last message, a promise he’d arrive soon, and slipped the phone into a pocket. Then he quickly bolted from the roof and onto another. 

Phoenix couldn’t fly or vault like the other heroes. Where they’d been able to become instantly amazing after only a few days, he’d had to work for years to reach anything close to their level. Even now, one wrong step and he could end up severely hurt without the chance of a magical suit of armour to take the brunt of the falls. 

_“What were you even doing to break your arm in five places, Mr. Kurtzberg?” the young nurse asked with a shake of her head. She was tired but in good spirits. Obviously tonight had been quiet._

_“Urh… parkour?” Nathanael replied sheepishly, which the nurse chuckled at. She glanced at the friends behind him who were looking rather guilty._

_“Try a movie. I hear they’re safer.”_

Phoenix strode into the high rise building, swiping his key card at the elevator and taking it all the way up. He could have climbed and slipped in through the door on the roof, but that would use energy he could save for other things.

Queen Bee greeted him silently when the doors slid open. She grabbed him around the waist and pulled him against her in an instant.

“What took you so long, cutie?” the woman crooned. Bee closed her eyes and pushed up Phoenix’s mask so she could kiss him. Phoenix eagerly accepted her lips with his own, drowning in her essence. 

“Sorry,” he mumbled several minutes later when they parted, breathless and but craving more. “I had to change. I was out with Carapace.” He pushed her backwards with stumbling steps, edging her toward one of the rooms with a bed. As they went, Queen Bee turned out each light. 

“What? Is he still not getting any?” she pouted but laughed. “I almost feel bad for him.” 

“Well, I do,” Phoenix argued and lifted the heroine just to throw her onto the bed. She let out another laugh. “He’s got it bad for our friend. Won’t say a word.” Phoenix crawled onto the bed over the top of Queen Bee.

“I don’t want to talk about him,” the blonde replied with a little huff. “Talking is optional, but if it’s going to happen it’s going to be you worshiping me,” she told him. “Got it?”

“Got it, your highness,” he replied with a smirk. In the darkness Nathanael freed his face of the mask and dropped it down beside the bed. Queen Bee reached up to start unbuckling the man from his uniform.

“Buzz off, Pollen. I wish you’d just use magic,” Queen Bee grumbled as her suit faded away and Nathanael’s hands fell onto lace. His fingers slid up her legs, delicately brushing at the thin fabric. The kwami fluttered off to find something else to do. “You’ve got a kwami.” 

Nathanael stopped, hesitating. “I’m not using him, Bee,” he replied sternly. He removed his hands from her body and rolled to lay beside her. “I’m really not going to use him if it’s just to make sex easier. We’ve talked about this.”

_“No, Bee!” Phoenix yelled at the woman. She stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at him. She only cared enough to try and keep him safe. He sported a wrist brace from the last attack and still limped slight from an injury that was now weeks old. “I won’t use him! Not ever!”_

_“I’m not saying you have to abuse him, Phoe,” she replied, trying to keep calm even with the little ginger man as angry as he was. “I’m saying you could be a real hero like the rest of us. You wouldn’t get hurt so bad.”_

_Phoenix boiled with pain and anguish inside. He fumbled for the buckles on his vest, awkwardly ripping it from his body. Then came the shirt, leaving his skinny form heaving for breaths in the cold air._

_His skin was covered in discoloured craters of old wounds._

_“I’ve had far worse, Bee,” he panted as tears ran down his cheeks. No one except Nino had ever seen his scars. “A broken bone or two is nothing.”_

Queen Bee rolled over, her fingers tracing up Phoenix’s chest, brushing softly over his scars. Her fingers dipped against his neck and pulled his chin so he faced her in the dark.

“Sorry,” she whispered and leaned a tender kiss against the man’s cheek. He smiled softly and sighed. 

“Forgiven,” Phoenix replied. He turned his head slightly to capture her lips sweetly. His hands returned to her skin. “I’m sorry too, that I can’t give you everything you want,” he added before kissing her again, lingering this time with gentle movements.

He swept the blonde up on top of him. Queen Bee instantly straddled his hips and leaned back down into the kiss.

“I don’t like you because you give me things, Phoe,” the woman replied as she left his lips to trail little kisses down his jaw. She pushed her short hair back behind her ears so it wouldn’t tickle her chin. “I like you because you make me feel things, and I don’t just mean the sex.”

Phoenix laughed as he lifted his head. He began to pepper Queen Bee’s breasts with tender nips. They left no marks behind, only seering skin that begged for more attention. 

“If it was more than sex, wouldn’t we be dating?” the ginger asked as his hands came to join his mouth on her skin, pushing past the lingerie that she obviously had planned. He couldn’t fathom another reason why she could only be wearing so little, especially after her earlier messages. 

“Maybe in another life, birdie,” the heroine replied after gasping. His skin was hot against her own, burning her with a heat she only ever wanted from this one specific man. 

The party with Nino and Luka seemed hours away now. Nathanael had been yanked from any kind of reality when he’d seen the first message, Queen Bee begging for him to help her ‘tender, loving need.’ They always somehow managed to tip toe along the line between casual sex and lovers. Both ached for much more than what they had. 

The silence between them was permeated with sharp gasps of pleasure. Delicate fingers helped each other undress further. Lips found skin again. Amourous sucks at nipples and whispered murmurs filled with giggles passed between them. 

_“I like you,” Nathanael said softly as he held Queen Bee in his arms. They snuggled closer together as the wind cooled their skin._

_“You can’t, Phoenix,” she replied sadly. Her gaze dropped._

_“Why not?” he begged to know._

_“You can’t know who I am.”_

_“I don’t need to.” He already knew exactly who she was, but she had no clue._

_“I’m not who you think I am, cutie,” Queen Bee chided softly and threaded their fingers together innocently._

_“You’re exactly what I want though.”_

“I want you,” Phoenix breathed out the request, tugging her as close as humanly possible. “Right now, please.” The blonde laughed and wriggled out of his grasp, leaving him laying on his back and erect to the night. He watched as her naked silhouette leaned down into their clothes. He wished he could see more of her. 

“One day we have to do this with the lights on,” Phoenix joked as Queen Bee resurfaced with a condom in her fingers. She laughed as well, breathy and giggly as she tore into the package. 

“One day we’ll do this with my dick in you,” she joked right back. Her hands rolled the condom down Phoenix’s arousal. 

“Anything sounds good when you touch me like that,” the ginger moaned out, each word choking in his throat around euphoria. Queen Bee took pleasure in the sounds she could pull from the man beneath her with only her hands in play. Years of playing with him had her well versed in his body. 

“Are you suggesting I bring a toy?” the woman practically purred. She dropped down to nibble at the tip of the condom, Nathanael inside it. He pushed up against her lips, burning for more but she wouldn’t let him have his way. She pushed his legs apart and slipped a hand between them. “I could. But I’d still be the boss.”

Bliss bubbled from Phoenix’s lips as he whimpered in agreement. “You always are,” he promised. Her fingers raked along the tender skin between his legs, pausing to tease his anus with a flick. 

“I’ll save that one for the toy,” she promised in return as she lifted herself back across his lap. Phoenix was instantly reaching for her hips and dragging her onto his length. Both choked out a sigh at the beloved sensation. As the shock subsided, Queen Bee began to roll her hips into her lover’s. Which did the job of dragging more moans from the ginger man. 

“When you’re done being greedy,” Queen Bee’s luxurious voice interrupted Phoenix’s relishing cries. “I have a clit that needs attention?”

He obeyed instantly, his hand awkwardly finding room between their bodies and slipping into her folds. She almost cried out when he found the spot near instantly. 

The cries only became more obvious with further movements. The two rocked and crooned sweet, sexy ramblings to each other as the friction built in the midst of their lust (and a little bit of love neither would admit to). 

Their climax came one after the other, a trembling mess of emotional cries. 

Queen Bee lay with her head on Phoenix’s chest, listening to his heartbeat and breath race. A wild and giddy smile covered her face, similar to the man’s. 

It was a while of just just listening to each other before Queen Bee rolled away and pushed herself up on steady legs. 

“I’m going to have a shower and change back,” the blonde declared and stepped away from her lover. “You should get dressed.”

“Wait, Bee. Why?” Phoenix asked, confused by this. Usually they’d lay together until just before the sun rose, sleeping or talking or making love. 

“Oh, I totally forgot to tell you,” the blonde paused in the doorway. “We have a job.”

“What?!” The ginger pushed himself up shakily, watching her shadow leave. The light in the bathroom blinded him as it was thrown on, but Queen Bee never took the chance to peek. She was straight into the shower. Nathanael followed behind the heroine, only entering the bathroom when he heard the water splash against her skin, knowing that Queen Bee was hidden from sight.

“That’s the first thing you should have lead with, Bee,” he scolded her as he used the sink to clean himself up. “Before the flirting and way before the sex.”

“Calm down,” she called out from under the soothing water. Just once, Nathanael would love to be in there with her. “The guy’s not going anywhere.”

“And where is he?”

Nathanael left the room to get dressed again. It was almost distressing how badly he missed her hands on him. 

“At the hospital, in a coma. Trust me, he’s not going anywhere and he’s in no danger. Plus I was super horny.” 

“That’s not a good enough reason,” the ginger growled, now muffled slightly from behind his mask. The water was shut off and she stepped from the shower to dry herself off.

“Are you pissed at me because I didn’t tell you,” Queen Bee started. “Or because we can’t fuck again tonight? Pollen, let’s buzz, sweetie!” 

Nathanael waited for Queen Bee to emerge from the bathroom in all her stripy glory before he answered. 

“Both. Mostly the first.” He caught her around the waist and tilted her eyes to his so she would see his annoyed expression. She kissed his mask. 

“Sorry,” she apologised for the second time that night. “Next time I’ll lead with the unsexy news. We good?”

Phoenix rolled his eyes. 

“Give me a moment to get something to eat.”

_Nino opened the old book for them all to see. Wayzz floated by his side. The book was turned and everyone leaned in closer to see._

_“Duusu,” Emilie whispered, agony in her eyes and voice. Adrien awkwardly went to touch her, to comfort her. He wasn’t sure how, and his hand fell back to his side._

_“Yeah, that’s Duusu. This is the miraculous,” Nino explained to the team and pointed out the brooch on the page. “She has the power of telepathy and we don’t know what if used for evil.”_

_Nooroo hid further in Nathanael’s hood. Only the ginger heard his tiny whimper. He shuddered at the vague memory of the magic so evil, distant but never leaving his mind. It was rather ironic really, one of the handful of people to remember being akumatized, and he was handed the responsibility of that kwami. Of course, kwamis weren’t evil themselves._

_Rena Rouge nudged Adrien and motioned for him to simply put his hand over his mother’s. He offered a thankful smile and did just that. Emilie took the hand in her own and squeezed it._

_“We have to find her,” Emilie pleaded with the team of heroes. “Kwamis were never made for evil.”_

At four something in the morning, Queen Bee and Phoenix strode into the hospital, unhindered by security or staff. The heroine took the lead. Their hands brushed in passing. 

“You’ve got sex hair,” Queen Bee whispered to Phoenix as they walked through the corridors of winding wards. The ginger stopped to fix his hair in the reflection of a door, then glared at the woman. She only laughed and urged him to continue.

When they entered the private room, Nathanael had to stop in the doorway. Something caught on his chest, something heavy and saturated with an ethereal essence. 

“He’s in a coma, but no one really can work out why-.”

“There’s magic here, Bee,” he whispered to his partner. She stopped short of the single bed to look back at him.

“How do you know?”

“I can feel it,” he explained as he finally took the few steps to the bed. “You’re drenched with magic all the time. So’s Nino. You guys kinda just ignore it. I don’t use it, but I’m around it. So I know what it feels like. Usually I can brush it off, but this… This feels like an akuma, Bee.” 

“There are no more akumas, Phoenix,” Queen Bee hissed, dropping her voice. “In case you forgot, you’re Hawk Moth two point oh. Not the bad kind-... You know what I mean. There are no more akumas.”

Nathanael couldn’t even be worried about the woman’s phrasing. Dread was all that he could feel. Dread and power and something so indescribable that he’d been searching for years for a way to explain the experience. The feeling was laying in the bed right in front of him.

“I was only called because the doctors couldn’t work out why-... Are you serious, Phoe?” Queen Bee asked again. Her hand fell onto his and Nathanael snapped from his memories.

“We have to call Carapace. Now.”


	5. Chapter 5

Carapace pursed his lips, pushing his hood down to run his fingers through his hair. Ugh, it was really starting to get long. Maybe he should have Nathanael cut it later… Not that he could even focus on that thought for long. No, the hero had much more pressing issues to that were consuming hs thoughts right now.

His eyes drifted around the table at their headquarters, passing over each and every person there. There was Phoenix sitting beside him, looking vaguely annoyed with the current conversation. Next to him sat Queen Bee, who was in an unnecessarily nasty fight with Rena Rouge. The fox themed heroine was to his right, next to Chat Noir who was doing his best to reign his girlfriend in.

“Look, all I’m saying is that Queen Bitch here should of told us ALL the moment she knew what had gone down! Instead of seducing Phoenix and fucking his brains out and THEN telling him about the serious shit!” Rena Rouge spat, leaning dramatically across the table, one finger pointed accusingly at Queen Bee. The blonde woman sneered, arms crossed over her chest.

“It’s not like he was going anywhere! He’s COMATOSE, remember?” Queen Bee shot back in her own defence. “And without me you wouldn’t of even known about this, soooo you’re welcome, Discount Lois Lane~”

“She has a point,” Phoenix interjected, feeling a need to stick up for the woman. “We wouldn’t of known if Bee hadn’t told us. Though, yes, she should of told me BEFORE trying to get in my pants. I've already chewed her out for it.”

“I bet he ate her out too,” Chat Noir muttered beneath his breath with a smirk to himself.

Rena Rouge’s eyes narrowed from beneath her mask. “Well, now we know. So she can go. I’m sure she has some police cock she wants to go suc-”

“Rena!” Chat Noir cut her off with a scowl, physically pulling Rena Rouge back into her seat. “That was uncalled for and you KNOW it!”

“I don’t care! This person has been affected by magic, Cat Boy, MAGIC. And Dollar Store Barbie over there clearly doesn’t have her priorities straight,” she growled, earning herself a middle finger from said blonde heroine.

“That’s not fair, Rena,” Phoenix tried to start, though before he could continue on he was cut off by Chat Noir.

“Actually, now that I’m thinking about it, maybe we shouldn’t be- I don’t think it’s Queen Bee we should be not involving with this.”

The ginger man cocked his head, lips pursing.  
“What do you mean, Chat?”

“I just think that, well… maybe you shouldn’t be here, Phoenix,” Chat uttered slowly, wincing at the glare he received from his teammate. “N-Not that you’re not competent! But this is magic. I- You aren’t using a miraculous like we are. It’s not safe for you to be involved with something that involves magic.”

“So I can fight someone with a knife? I can go up against a gang of thugs with shit like FLAMETHROWERS but I can’t help investigate a case of a magical coma?” Phoenix questioned sharply, exhaling hard through his nose as he dropped his gaze. “Great to know my teammate has such faith in me!”

“That’s not what I-“

“Oh, it’s TOTALLY what you meant!” Queen Bee shouted across the table, now up on her feet. “Don’t you dare fucking baby him like that, you mangy alley cat! Phoe can look after himself just fine and you KNOW it!”

Carapace groaned, squeezing his eyes shut as his fingers curled into his hair, gripping and tugging hard at the slightly wavy brunet locks. Why the sweet fuck was everyone fighting? Why were they all so loud? Why were they shouting and screaming?? His head pounded with each and every word the heroes spat and screeched, only adding to the growing sense of anxiety and distress that was slowly overtaking him.

They wouldn’t be fighting if Fu was here. His godfather had always had a way of calming people, had a way of commanding respect without even asking for it. Everyone just listened to him, always remained civil and open minded around him. There was never any screaming or fighting or… or this. 

Of course there wasn’t. Because Fu had been a brilliant Guardian. Because Fu had known what he’d been doing. Because there was no way Nino could ever fill his godfather’s shoes. Because he could never be the Guardian the world NEEDED him to be. Yet he was all they had, yet he had to do it, and he loathed it.

Right now he just loathed life in general.  
He wished he wasn’t here. That he was somewhere nice and calming and chill.  
He wished he was with Luka. Everything always felt okay with him. Well, most of the time.

_Luka’s brow was furrowed, which was extremely strange for the man whose calm exterior was a crutch to all that surrounded him._

_Luka. Not calm and collected. But rather scowling at something unknown._

_Nino edged into the man’s line of sight._

_“What’s up, dude?”_

_Luka was brought out of his imagination and set eyes on Nino, almost instantly relaxing._

_“Nothing, man,” Luka replied, which concerned Nino just a little bit more._

_“Lies,” the Guardian said as he dropped down beside his friend. “What’s really up?”_

_Luka paused, frown slipping back into place as he leaned against Nino. “My friend is in hospital. Coma. They don’t know… they don’t know anything, actually. She’s just… not waking up.”_

_Nino couldn’t respond for several long moments._

_“That’s fucking shit.” Nino wrapped a lanky arm around Luka’s shoulders._

_“Yeah.”_

Another snippy shout pulled him from his spiraling thoughts and finally, Carapace snapped.

“ **I HATE THIS FUCKING SANDWICH!** ” he screamed, fists slamming onto the table and effectively silencing the entire room. Carapace’s cheeks started to glow, reaching a hue that was almost comparable to Phoenix’s hair as he felt everyone’s eyes on him amidst the sudden quiet.

“... Um, are you okay?” Chat Noir eventually said, a look of confused concern crossing over his features. He reached on over to the green clad man he was sitting beside, laying a hand upon his shoulder.

“It- It’s a metaphor… Just forget it, okay?” Carapace muttered, in what only could be described as exhausted mortification. “We’ve got more important stuff to discuss. If everyone is done fighting like catty middle schoolers and is ready to chill the fuck out, we can actually get this meeting going. Properly this time.”

The majority of the room had the decency to look guilty, minus Queen Bee who averted her gaze to the table with a huff before muttering a quiet apology.

“Cool. Okay, so, let’s go over the deets once more. A week ago a man was found in a coma. There's no known cause,” Carapace informed them, hoping he sounded at least half the Guardian his godfather had been. “Two days ago another person was found comatose in a park. She’s, uh… a friend of a friend of mine. Again, there’s no explanation. Phoenix looked into both and… help me out here, man. You felt magic, right?” Carapace asked, earning himself another nod from the ginger man.

“Right. I could feel the magic on them. I can feel it on you guys too. I’m pretty sure it’s because I have Nooroo but don’t use him. I live with magic but I’m not drenched in it like the rest of you. So instead of it feeling natural to me and not noticing it, like you all, I can kind of sense it,” Phoenix explained to everyone bar Queen Bee, who sat there with a smug smirk.

“Of course I already knew this~,” she quipped, earning her more than a few eye rolls.

“Because I told you when I saw the first victim,” Phoenix said to her with a sigh. “Remember?” he added sarcastically and nudged her side.

“Speaking of the first victim,” Carapace piped up, before Queen Bee even had a chance to reply. “We wouldn’t of known about this without Queen Bee’s help. She’s our only connection to the police on a working level, which is why she’s here. So I don’t wanna hear anyone more talk of her not being needed here. The same goes for Phoenix. We wouldn’t have known it was magic without him, and he knows how to handle himself, ‘kay?”

There was a grumbling round of agreements, followed by an equally grumbly round of apologies. Carapace let out a breath of relief.

“Good. ‘Cause we all gotta be working together on this, okay? This is magic and we don’t even know what exactly we’re dealing with other than that. We can’t be fighting with each other like this when we need to be at our strongest.”

Phoenix smiled over at his friend and gently elbowed his ribs.  
“Told you you’re a good leader,” he whispered in affectionate teasing, chuckling as Carapace shot him a look that screamed ‘Really dude? Did you HAVE to say that now?’

“Now that we’re all on the same page, I’m throwing the floor to QB. Queenie, you have the police reports, yeah? Mind sharing them with the team?” Carapace asked, watching as the blonde pulled a folder out from a rather stylish Gucci bag and laid it on the table.

_”There is no evidence to show that this is magic, Queen Bee,” the Commander of the Paris police told the blonde heroine._

_“Trust me, sir, this is magic,” she insisted, though she’d been trying for several minutes to make him understand._

_“And there are no more akumas,” he replied sternly, as if that were all the magic out there. Of course it wasn’t! There were the heroes, and the kwamis, and gods knew what else! “So unless there’s a new threat we need to know about, you’re not on this case, Queen Bee.”_

_“The doctors asked me to look into this because there’s no other explanation!”_

_“Medical mysteries happen all the time, Queen Bee.”_

_The heroine stifled a childish groan. “Then may I have the files to show my team members?”_

_“That’s a bigger security risk than you simply being here,” the commander in chief reminded her. Chloe remembered. Without revealing her identity, she couldn’t have a police check, she couldn’t be officially rostered, and she couldn’t have access to files and cases without the express permission of the Commander._

_The heroine straightened her back, a way to release the building aggression and tension._

_“Of course, sir,” she replied forcibly._

_The moment she left his office, she tracked down a certain officer who would bend to her every whim._

“Thank you~. Right now we officially have two victims,” the woman started. “The first person is a man in his early twenties named James Ironwood. He was found eight days ago outside Université de Caractères Fictifs, by a couple of students around midnight. He was unconscious when found, and was declared comatose when he arrived at the hospital. James was entirely uninjured, had no bruises or cuts on him, no fractures or breaks or internal wounds. No organ failure, the only medical history this guy has is chickenpox when he was a kid. Just a perfectly healthy man who was seen in class earlier that day, who then just… fell unconscious and into a coma. For no medical reason,” Queen Bee explained, shuffling the papers in her hands in a somewhat professional manner.

“The second victim is a woman named Jillian Beilschmidt. She’s twenty four and has this totally rocking silver hair that is so ho-” she was interrupted by the clearing of Phoenix’s throat. “Okay, fiiine~. Back on track. She was found two days ago in the park opposite the Dupain Cheng Bakery by Sabine Cheng at 6am. Jillian is the same deal as James. Unconscious and then declared comatose. She wasn’t hurt in any way, shape or form, and was perfectly healthy. The only possible reason we have is magic at this point,” Queen Bee finally finished, sitting herself back down.

A brief moment of silence fell over the room as the group of heroes, magical and not, mulled over everything that had been said.

“... So, it’s magic. Magic that can send people comatose without physically hurting them. Which makes it mental magic, I guess?” Rena Rouge said, chewing at her lip as she went over the facts in her mind again. “What could even do that?”

It was then that Chat Noir’s eyes went wide, realisation hitting him like a raging akuma.

“Maybe the peacock miraculous could,” he uttered quietly, drawing everyone’s attention. There was quiet once more, as the weight of the situation slowly dawned upon each and every one of them.

“... Call Emilie, Chat. Tell her we need her to join us here, now,” Carapace told him, to which Chat Noir slowly nodded and did just that, excusing himself from the table to go call his mother.

—————————

Unfortunately for them Emilie was stuck in a meeting, one that she couldn’t escape just yet. But she’d promised to rush over the moment she could leave. This left the five of them with a bit of time to burn before they could really continue on.

It was Rena Rouge who suggested they order pizza after hearing her boyfriend’s stomach rumble, to which everyone agreed. Twenty minutes later it had arrived, and by the time everyone was eating, minus Carapace who claimed he wasn’t feeling all that great for food, the group has significantly chilled out.

“Uyck. We, like, ALL needed this,” Queen Bee claimed as she took another careful bite of her slice, held with a napkin to keep her gloved hands clean. “Everything has gotten soooo stressful this past week! I’ve needed some time to just relax and eat something totally disgustingly unhealthy and dripping with grease.”

“You can say that again, Queenie,” Rena Rouge agreed, their earlier disagreement forgotten in place of their meal. “Everything always goes to shit at the same time. I’ve been stressed about this whole mess, my latest assignment, my recent job with the world’s shittiest boss. Plus my boo has been super stressed lately and yesterday she miiight have thrown a basket at my head,” Rena said with an easy laugh, one that Chat Noir shared with her.

“At least you HAVE a date mate. Some of us would trade their left foot and soul to Satan himself to have someone special to throw baskets at them!” Carapace replied with a slight grumble, resting his cheek upon his hand. The sad part was that that wasn’t far from the truth. Honestly, what he would give to have what Alya and Adrien had with Marinette, but with Luka instead. 

“Well maybe you would have that if you asked a certain guitar playing hipster out instead of sleeping with random guys you aren’t even interested in,” Phoenix stated, one brow perfectly poised as he stared right into Carapace’s eyes, refusing to break their gaze. “Just saying. You only have yourself to blame for your sad excuse of a love life, Cara.”

A quiet “buuuuuurn” could be heard coming from Rena Rouge in response, though she quickly followed it up with an apologetic smile.

“Hey, go easy on him. Confessing to someone you love is REALLY hard, okay? You’re putting your heart on the line, bearing it to a purr-son who could crush it like a grape!” Chat Noir said, in defence of his best bro. Carapace wasn’t sure whether he was thankful for his friend’s support, or to bemoan him ever saying anything. The last thing he wanted to think about right now was Luka crushing his stupid gay heart into millions of pieces. He didn’t think he could take that.

Not that he was given another moment to think about it, as the elevator door opened and Emilie Agreste burst into the room, dashing over to the table and collapsing into a free seat.

“I’m sorry I took so long! Rico just wouldn’t shut up and I had to fake a migraine to get out of there,” Emilie explained apologetically, dipping her head. Carapace simply reached across the table and pushed a pizza box and a bottle of soda in her direction. She accepted the offering gratefully.

“It’s all good. You’re here now, that’s what matters. Eat, drink, catch your breath. Then we’ll fill you in.”

_Mayura laughed with glee as she fell from the very top of the skyscraper. Air rushed around her face and filled the feathers of her suit, adding to her sense of complete and perfect freedom. Her fans lifted her at the very last moment, outstretched like wings they caught the air and twisted her body up, safe from the pavement._

_She was still laughing as she landed, prancing over to her young boyfriend clad in purple. He wasn’t as amused as her._

_“You could have died, Emilie!” Gabriel almost screeched. His usually perfect demeanor was a mess of fear and anxiety._

_“No, sweetheart! We’re safe! You should try it,” she pleaded with him._

_The masked man shook his head. “No. You won’t see me doing something so-... so foolish, Emilie!”_

_“I could make you, sweetheart,” she crooned then, batting her lashes._

_“With your womanly ways or with magic?” Hawk Moth scowled._

_“Which will get you up there faster?”_

Emilie sat there, not uttering a single word as she listened to everything she had missed. At first she was curious, head tilted in listening as she nodded along with what was being said. Then concerned, as the seriousness of that situation started to dawn upon her. Finally, as the last details were delivered to her, before their theory could even be uttered, an expression of pure daunted horror etched itself into her beautiful features.

She didn’t even need to utter a word, every person in that room knew just what Emilie was thinking purely from her reaction alone.

“... It’s Dusuu, isn’t it?” Carapace whispered, his voice a thick sludge in his throat. “Someone is misusing the Peacock Miraculous…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You wanna know the secret to getting faster updates~? Just leave a comment, any comment! Seriously, even something like ‘ASGHDGF!!! ❤️❤️❤️’ or ‘I really like this!’ goes a long way in motivating us to write more!


	6. Chapter 6

“Is Nino eating right?” Chat Noir asked the moment Phoenix sat down beside him. The vast expanse of Paris at night rolled out below their dangling feet. A chilled breeze kept them wide eyed and awake. Rena Rouge leaned forward, peering around Chat to also hear the ginger’s reply.

“Yeah, he’s eating,” Phoenix confirmed with a little smile. “He picked the metaphor thing up off Luka, that’s all. You know Nino sponges fads.”

Rena murmured a concerned little hum. “You are feeding him, right?”

“Oh, my God. Carapace is a big boy with big boy panties now,” Queen Bee interjected as she arrived. She gracefully fluttered down beside Phoenix, sitting and crossing her arms in almost defiance. “He can feed himself.”

“It’s not like that, Queenie,” Chat tried to explain with a sigh. His brows knitted. “Nino burned out before. When Fu died and he was suddenly the Guardian and everything. He burned out. Majorly, and Phoenix moving in with him was all that kept him alive.”

Queen Bee was at a loss for words for a long moment. That was so long ago, when Phoenix was a scrawny runt and Adrien still didn’t know if to call Emilie Mother or Ma. 

Phoenix nodded to confirm Chat’s testimony. “He didn’t cope well with stress,” the man commented sullenly.

_Nino cried out, papers littering the ground around him. The room was a mess of Fu’s personal belongings and books that simply couldn’t be read. Tears had ceased long ago, now he just cried in dry keens of grieving. He doubled over and fell to the floor. His body screamed in pain made physical from the anguish. ___

__“Wayzz remembered where I lived and found me the next day,” Phoenix continued the solom tale. “Nino was still there on the floor. I moved in with him a few days later.”_ _

__“Oh, okay, shit,” Queen Bee uttered._ _

__“He’s amazing at other things,” Rena spoke up. “He’s a spectacular musician, wicked cool at making his friends happy, and a mean cook. He’s just not great at looking after himself when he’s sad.”_ _

__“Yeah, and it’s not like that anymore,” Phoenix went on. “Most of the time he’s fine. But if he gets too overwhelmed he forgets to eat and shit like that. So I cook for him and encourage him to do all that other stuff.”_ _

__Queen Been made a small noncommittal sound, something perched between horror and disbelief. “But he’s so…”_ _

__“Yeah, even I forget sometimes,” Phoenix replied and offered a tender hand to the woman’s knee. “Which is kinda good. I mean, it means he hasn’t had a big problem in ages. You know?”_ _

__Rena hummed again in acknowledgment. “So, he is eating, right?”_ _

__“Yes,” Phoenix said again with a short laugh. His friends’ concerns were well placed, but not needed. “He cooked a curry last night and we heated that up before I left. He’s okay. It really was just a dumb metaphor.”_ _

__Rena and Chat visibly relaxed at the knowledge._ _

__“Okay, cool, I was worried,” the cat hero explained, as if it weren’t already obvious to everyone else._ _

__“Seeing as we’re asking about life partners,” Phoenix went on with a chuckle. “How’s Marinette? I’ve been a bit busy to come visit, sorry.”_ _

__“Beautiful, as always,” Rena Rouge quickly replied, and both her and Chat’s eyes glazed over with adoration for a second._ _

__“She’s been super busy with work too, don’t stress,” Chat Noir continued. “But she wants to get us all together for Christmas, if you don’t have anywhere else to be. She’s doing up handwritten invites and everything.”_ _

__“It’s a civilian thing,” Rena quickly added with a glance at Queen Bee. “Mari has a rule against hero stuff in the house.”_ _

__Phoenix shook his head while Queen Bee remained pointedly silent but shrugged._ _

__“I’ll be there,” Phoenix promised, feeling a little guilty._ _

__The group fell into an easy silence. They had a job to do after all. Their eyes and ears scanned the city from their vantage point, most getting up to move around for different views._ _

__Queen Bee broke the silence upon hearing soft giggles come from a certain cat._ _

__“Oh, get a room, will you?” she reprimanded Chat Noir and Rena Rouge, who were sneaking little kisses every few moments._ _

__“Why don’t you guys?” Rena countered, unashamed, while Chat blushed. Phoenix couldn’t help but chuckle at Chat’s expression._ _

__“I didn’t know this was meant to be a double date,” Chat commented, trying to hide his embarrassment, as his tail wrapped itself around Rena, who swatted it away with another laugh._ _

__“We’re not dating,” was Queen Bee’s quick response, which silenced everyone. “We’re just… we’re just casual, okay?”_ _

__Phoenix ducked his head and returned to looking out over the city. It ached to hear those words, but he knew they were true. He and Queen Bee weren’t dating, weren’t girlfriend/boyfriend, weren’t any of the normal things that normal people who fucked usually were. He heard the blonde woman mutter a curse word as she too returned to her position, and the team grew quiet again._ _

__An unknown amount of time passed and Queen Bee ambled over to Phoenix’s side. She tentatively bumped their arms together, soft enough to convey her apology. Phoenix draped an arm around her shoulders, and she leaned into him._ _

__“Is this what you do every night?” she asked after a breath passed between them._ _

__“Not every night,” Phoenix shook his head. He found comfort in having Bee in his arms. “No. Fridays and Saturdays we comb the city for lowlifes. You know, when there’s lots of people out and the crime rate goes up. We hang out up here other times and listen for people who need help.”_ _

__“There’s a lot of people that are just scum,” she agreed. “But the police already do that. They do exactly what you’re doing.”_ _

__“The police aren’t as fast as us,” Chat Noir said from across the roof. The pair turned to face him. The cat shrugged and continued. “They also have to follow rules like getting evidence and not punishing people too early.”_ _

__“It’s like a kid,” Rena commented. “You gotta punish them when the crime happens, or it just loses the effect and they do it again.”_ _

__“Laws are in place so everyone has the right to a fair and just system,” Queen Bee attested. “That people can be judged by their peers and punished accordingly.”_ _

__“But you gotta know that doesn’t always work, Bee,” Phoenix said softly, not wanting to speak against her but wanted to stand for his belief. “The courts take ages, and then someone gets free on a technicality. Then the only person who’s punished is the victim.”_ _

__“It’s not perfect, no,” the blonde heroine agreed reluctantly. “But it’s changing. It’s getting better. Twenty years ago we didn’t have a law against users of magic. Now we do!”_ _

__“Which stops us from using any magical attack on a normal human, we know,” Rena said with a groan. “You know how annoying that is?”_ _

__“It’s to stop you from hurting anyone.”_ _

__“It also stops us from stopping a lot of people.”_ _

__“It helps people feel safe.”_ _

__“It helps people get away with shit!”_ _

__“Alright! Enough,” Chat Noir said loudly, cutting both women off before they could bitch their way into another fight. “Bee, we just fill in the gaps that the police can’t. Rena, the police do what they can. Okay?”_ _

__“Thanks, Switzerland,” Phoenix said with a relieved smile and a little wave of appreciation._ _

__“The three of us had an awesome dynamic,” Rena pressed. “Before-”_ _

__“You had an awesome dynamic seven years ago without me,” Phoenix cut in firmly. “Things change. Queen Bee is here for now, so… so get used to it, Rena.”_ _

__The fox straightened her shoulders, readying a fiery come back, when Chat Noir wrapped his arms around her. “Breathe, beautiful,” he whispered tenderly against her ear. After a moment, she tore herself away from Chat and stormed her way off, jumping down to the streets below. Seconds later a furious scream made Phoenix jump._ _

__“Is she…?”_ _

__“That’s just her cooling off,” Chat answered and offered an apologetic smile. “She’ll come back in a bit.”_ _

__The three watched where the heroine had left, but she made no return in the minutes that followed._ _

__“Maybe we should go,” Phoenix said quietly to the two blondes. “I mean to patrol. Separate Rena and Bee for a little.”_ _

__“She’s an adult,” Queen Bee protested. “Not my fault if she can’t work with me.”_ _

__“I’m not saying it is,” the ginger man sighed loudly. A nervous hand brushed through his hair._ _

__“Well it feels like you’re punishing me.”_ _

__“I’m not, I just know-” Phoenix cut himself off before he could finish, but the silence that followed was deafening._ _

__“Know what?” Queen Bee commanded him to finish._ _

__“Nothing,” he said quickly. “I don’t know anything, okay?”_ _

__The heroine couldn’t quite believe him, and stared for a few long moments before a revelation came to her._ _

__“You...you know who I am?” Queen Bee asked in disbelief. “You do, don’t you? The whole time?”_ _

__Phoenix’s lips fell open several times as he tried to find a reply._ _

__“Yeah, but I don’t care, Bee,” Phoenix tried, cringing. He’d known since the beginning. He knew that his heart lay with Chloe, and that she was so much more of a person than she used to be. “I do care, I care about you. Not who you are-were, you know what I’m trying to say!”_ _

__“We promised that identities wouldn’t make this complicated, Phoe!” Queen Bee fired back. All she could see was red, and it wasn’t the ginger kind of red she’d fallen in love with._ _

__“And it hasn’t been,” Phoenix tried to reason. “What we’ve had is great!”_ _

__“And you’ve been lying to me.”_ _

__“I wasn’t lying, Bee,” he tried again. “I live with Carapace. That kinda comes with knowing who everyone is and-”_ _

__“Just leaving me in the dark about something THIS big?” she shouted, hands curling into shaking fists at her side. “This isn’t some stupid dinky secret like knowing that I binge on triple fudge ice cream! This is- It’s my identity and you didn’t even have the decency to tell me you knew!”_ _

__Phoenix felt like he was a teenager all over again, being screamed at by his parents or a bully, small and tiny and weak. He stumbled back a step._ _

__“How long have you known?” Queen Bee demanded from where she stood._ _

__“S-s-since the battle,” he quickly replied, a stammer slipping into his voice that he was sure he’d lost years ago. He jumped as an unexpected hand came down on his shoulder._ _

__“That’s enough,” Chat Noir finally said, unable to allow the argument to go any further. He couldn’t watch his friends fight over the same topic that he had so many times with Ladybug._ _

__“But he-!”_ _

__“I said enough!” Chat Noir cut her off with an actual growl, deep and angry. It shut them both up quickly. The words that came were an furious calm that unnerved them all. “Identites don’t matter between us; we’re all teammates and this is beyond stupid. I nearly lost everything I loved when Ladybug told me who she was. I’m not going to let something so stupid and meaningless come between you two.”_ _

__Silence fell as Chat Noir collected his thoughts._ _

_Adrien stepped back from Marinette and Alya, abstract horror and uncertainty marred his beautiful features._

_“Babe, please,” the woman who Adrien thought he knew said, reaching out to him. He shied away from her touch. “I love you. I-I… I wanted you to know.”_

_Adrien shook his head, words choking his throat. All that came out were unintelligible sobs._

_...after all the lies he’d had to put up with from his father; after every time he’d been left in the dark; after every promise to never hide anything…_

_“I didn’t think it was that big a deal, Dri. I’m sorry,” Alya tried to say, but the expression Adrien shot her made her heart clench violently._

_...the two women who he loved so much he couldn’t pick just one; the two women who made his days the happiest of his life; the two women who LIED!_

_“You...Ladybug...I…”_

____

____The blond looked over his friends once more before he let go of Phoenix. “Learn from our mistakes, okay? Either it means everything to you, or it means nothing. Hurry up and pick so it doesn’t eat you up inside.”_ _ _ _

____Silence._ _ _ _

____The shuffling of feet caused Phoenix to lift his gaze, spying Queen Bee guiltily looking away from him._ _ _ _

____“Sorry,” she uttered without looking up. “I… I’m going to need time, okay?”_ _ _ _

____“That’s fair,” Phoenix replied on autopilot. His heart had sunk so far down, he wondered if he’d ever feel again._ _ _ _

____Everything was numb as he watched the woman lift herself into the air, wings buzzing quietly as she left them. She never looked back._ _ _ _

____Chat Noir’s arm fell softly around Phoenix’s shoulders, and the ginger laid his head against the other man._ _ _ _

____“You okay, dude?”_ _ _ _

____“How the hell do you manage to keep two?”_ _ _ _

____“Lots of rules and too much love,” Chat replied, almost tender as he hugged his friend. “She’ll work it out, don’t worry. Then you go from there.”_ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You comments fuel us to write more~


	7. Chapter 7

Luka was starting to feel as though he might not be safe. Had he done something so unspeakably terrible in his past life that it was now cursing those around him? Because it was certainly starting to feel like it. Although there was always the chance that this was just a terrible, horrible stroke of bad luck. Or perhaps this was all a nightmare that had yet to end? 

He didn’t know the answer. All Luka knew was that something sinister was going on and he being drawn into it in the most awful of ways.

First it had been Jillian, the bass guitarist in his band. The woman had been so wild, so full of life. It had always felt like nothing could take the woman down. Like she was totally invincible. At least, that was what Luka had always believed. Now Jillian lay in hospital, unable to wake up and without a reason as to why or how she’d ended up like that.

It was heartbreaking every time he went to visit. Her little brother, Ludwig, was always hunched over her, hands like giants clutching Jillian’s as his own shook so dreadfully. Worse still, there was nothing Luka could do to help. Ludwig just wished to be left alone, and he himself was no doctor, or a cop, or a magic wielding hero.

He was simply his own, useless, powerless self, good for nothing but a fun few tunes. At least, that was how he was currently feeling.

Which brought him to now. Luka had been meaning to meet a friend that evening. A simple catch up over wine, a few laughs about failed dates, talks about differing styles of rock. You know, a fun time. A chance for him to relax after what had happened to Jillian. He’d been excited like he hadn’t managed to be since the accident.

Of course fate had other plans. As he sat huddled in the bus shelter, hoodie up and covering his face against the chilled breeze as he waited, disaster struck. One moment Luka had seen his friend, Dean, approaching in the distance from an alleyway. The next… 

“Good evening, young man,” a mysterious woman sang, stepping from the shadows in a such a seamless fashion that one could have mistaken her for part of them. She watched in mild glee as Dean froze, if only for a second, before he turned to face the peacock themed woman with a look of strangely powerful bravado. 

“Wh-”

“I’m afraid there is no time for idle chit chat,” she interrupted, as blue clad woman pulled a fan from her hip. It spread majestically between them, and silently she plucked a single feather from it. “I’m a busy woman, I’m sure you understand that, **Dean.** ”

Surprised that the strange woman in costume knew his name, Dean bristled. A strangled eek ripped its way from his throat as the strange woman approached him with an eerie sort of calmness. In her hand was the feather, its tip as sharp as any needle and just as likely to pierce.

“I’ll just need you for a few moments,” she assured him, pleased to see the young man now far more wary, perhaps even frightened? Good. As he should be. “Well, not you, exactly. Just your mind.” A frighteningly cold smile spread across her face, as the woman stopped mere inches away from Dean.

“ **Mind’s Eye,** ” she called, her voice perfectly steady and deathly calm. As was her hand, the feather within it that began to glow a deep, shimmering blue. In one swift movement the end was thrust between Dean’s eyes, where it vanished.

Luka sat rigidly, perfectly still in paralytic fear. Entirely unnoticed and safe from the arctic gaze of the horrifying stranger. The stranger who had just done SOMETHING to his friend, as he watched Dean seize up for just a second before- Luka wasn’t sure how to really describe it. From where he sat it looked as though Dean was dazed, like he was in some kind of trance. 

Trance was correct, unbeknownst to Luka. But to the woman, who took a step back as she let her eyes drift shut for a few fleeting moments, this was all as simple and routine as brewing her morning cup of coffee. Equally as dull, she thought, as a slight frown tugged at blue stained lips.

“Useless again, aren’t we?” she uttered in a swirling mix of disappointment and slowly growing frustrations. “Nothing more than a waste of my power and effort. I am beginning to see why my dearest was always in such a foul mood. Constant failure is… disheartening.”

No, it was far worse than that. Disheartening didn’t even begin to describe the heartache she had suffered, nor the distress that plagued each and every moment of her continued existence. No. This was something that words just couldn’t explain, couldn’t begin to make sense of.

A blue tinged hand was waved and with it Dean fell, dropping to the floor like an abandoned ragdoll. In a manner that was strangely gentle, the woman came down to his level, sitting upon her knees as she lay that very same hand upon his unconscious form.

“At the very least I know that what I leave behind will be beyond disheartening for those who love you. Sam shall be quite upset, will he not?” she remarked with a dry, bitter excuse for a laugh. “I take comfort in knowing that although I suffer, I am not doing so alo-”

Her head whipped up, eyes narrowing as she heard something. A noise, a sound like jumping, leaping. Running, boots on rooftops.   
Something… miraculous.

The woman refused to wait around to confirm her fears. Instead she leapt on up and into the shadows, seemingly becoming one with the darkness. In her place, from the rooftops of the now silent street, came Carapace. He landed beside Dean with a soft thud, and near instantly cursed as knelt before him.

“Fuck. Please don’t be another one…” Carapace muttered, as he turned the unconscious man to lie upon his side, like he’d been taught in the many first aid courses and classes he’d taken. 

The situation appeared grim though, as once more he found the victim to be completely and totally unharmed. Although there was always the chance the man had just fainted or passed out.

“Ca- … Carapace?” Luka uttered, his words dripping with shock coated in dear, sweet relief. On shaking legs he pushed himself up, stumbling towards the normally reclusive hero. Help! Help was finally here! Maybe, just maybe, Dean would be okay. After all, the heroes were magic, weren’t they? 

Carapace glanced over, pools of gold going wide from behind the safety of his goggles. Luka was here. Why was Luka here? So close to what may very well have been a dangerous crime. For a moment the thought crossed his mind that it could of been him laying here, that it could have been Luka who might have been comatose with no current hope of ever waking. The thought was enough to make his stomach churn in a way that almost had him regretting brunch.

“Are you alright, dude?” Carapace asked, just barely biting back the urge to call out his name and pull Luka into a tight hug. “Did you see what happened here?”

Jankily, Luka nodded. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me,” he said, with a weak smile pulling at the edges of his lips. “He’s my friend, Dean. We were gonna meet up for a drink.”

A sympathetic nod came from the turtle themed hero, along with a warm smile as he a laid a hand upon Luka’s shoulder.

“I was sitting in the bus shelter, waiting, when Dean came out of that alley over there,” he paused, pointing it out. “Then a woman stepped out of the shadows. She was… weird. Strange. Dressed in nothing but dark blues, had blue hair. I think her skin was blue too?” 

Luka shuddered at the memory of her. Just describing her, she seemed far less human than she had in the moment. Although to be honest, his attention had mostly been on his friend, his gaze trapped on him in spine chilling horror.

“She looked like… like you guys. Animal themed. A peacock. Had a fan and she pulled a feather from it, made it glow. Then she… she pushed it into him, into his head,” he whispered. Luka swallowed thickly, knowing that image would be haunting his dreams for quite some time. “I couldn’t hear what she was saying, but Dean went into some kinda trace? Then he just… dropped.”

The teal tipped man shuddered, wrapping his arms around himself.

“H-Hey, don’t worry man, he’s still alive,” Carapace attempted to reassure him, offering Luka’s shoulder a supportive squeeze. The guy looked so shaken up, so terrified and small. 

Never before had Luka seemed so desperately in need of a shoulder to cry on. 

Never before had Carapace felt such a deep urgency to help someone, not even Adrien or Nathanael. 

But he knew that shouldn’t be his priority right now. Not when it was clear that magic was a foot here.

“And I’m real sorry to be questioning you after you’ve seen and experienced something hella shitty. But I need to know,” Carapace stopped, giving Luka a few seconds to calm himself and focus on his voice and that alone. “Was the woman wearing a brooch? It would be a deep blue, resembling a peacock tail with five feathers and a peacock’s eye in the centre at the bottom.”

A few, long seconds of silence passed between them, before Luka gave a slight, hesitant nod. 

“Yeah, I think,” Luka said, although not with much confidence. “I wasn’t all that close. But I think I saw a blue brooch or pin, in the middle of her chest. It looked… like a semi circle, but pointed at the bottom?” A frown tugged at the edges of his lips. “Sorry, I didn’t get the best look at it.”

“Nah, it’s cool. Thanks. That’s actually really helpful,” Carapace assured him, squeezing his shoulder once more before pulling his hand away entirely. He reached down towards a stylish, yet practical utility belt he’d convinced Wayzz to let him have, and pulled from out a phone. He called the police and ambulance services, along with leaving a group message for the rest of his team, plus Emilie. This wasn’t something he could keep to himself after all, not even for a minute longer.

“Once the ambulance has arrived, I think we should both go. We… aren’t on the best terms with the police, even if we try to be. Well, I try to be. Chat and Rena are another story,” Carapace gave a slight, if tired chuckle. “I can walk you home. Make sure she really didn’t notice you, you know?”

And make sure that he didn’t spend the night worrying if Luka had gotten home safely. Carapace knew the guy never checked his messages after the sun had gone down, and the waiting would surely give him a heart attack. Although he was expecting Luka to fight him on this.

To his surprise though, that wasn’t the case.

“That’d be appreciated, actually. I didn’t wanna say anything but it’s getting dark and that kind of freaked me out. I’d get a taxi, but I miiiight of left my wallet at home,” Luka admitted with a sheepish chuckle, one hand rubbing at the back of his neck as though he could erase the mild embarrassment with a little elbow grease.

“Hey, I’m a hero. It’s my job to help people out.”

———————

Nino flopped down upon the floor, but not before taking the time to drop his transformation, and to feed Wayzz as well. The house was quiet, meaning that Nathanael was probably out patrolling.

A heavy breath fell from his lips, filling the silence and echoing in a way that Nino loathed. He’d never liked the silence much, especially since losing his parents when he was seven. The silence that had followed their deaths had pierced through him like a thousand blazing knives, and he’d never quite been comfortable with a lack of sound ever since.

It had only been made worse by Fu’s death. The man had been like a grandfather to him, had raised him since his parents untimely passing, like he’d sworn to do as Nino’s godfather. 

Most of his memories were of Fu instead of his parents, the kindly old man who’d held him as he’d cried after nightmares, who had been supportive of passions, even if he didn’t really understand the appeal of ‘that bleep blooping music’. Fu, who had been open and accepting when Nino had come out to him as gay in at the start of high school, who’d sat and watched every Hollywood movie with Nino that he’d wanted to share with his godfather.

Wang Fu had always done his best to be kind, to do what was right; values that he’d passed on to Nino that had shaped him into the person he was today. There wasn’t a day that went by where Nino didn’t miss him.

“You know, I could really use your guidance now, Pa. You woulda known what to do,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around himself in a futile attempt to comfort himself.

As he did he turned onto his side, facing the corner he’d turned into a little shrine for his godfather. A plethora of photographs sat on a small table, crowding it with shot after candid shot of the old man. Space was only left for a vase of flowers and incense, which Nino lit every morning.

“... I’m not… I’m not cut out for this,” he admitted, his voice cracking as he felt tears stinging at his eyes. “People are getting hurt, families are grieving and people are gonna start getting scared soon…”

And Luka, sweet, carefree, gorgeous Luka. He’d been far too close to the action today, plus he’d lost a second friend to the same magic. It was starting to feel like Luka might be next and that honestly terrified him, in a way that left him cold down to his very core.

“I’m already scared, Pa. I’m scared I’m not the leader everyone needs, I’m scared that I’m gonna totally fail, that I’ll never be the amazing ass guardian you were!” Nino cried out as the tears he’d tried so hard to hold back slipped free. Yet he didn’t even have the energy to wipe them away. “I don’t wanna let you down, Pa…I can’t. There’s… There’re lives on the line here.”

_“With magic, there will always be civilians to consider, Xiǎo ké,” Fu said to Nino in his sagely tone. He raised a hand and gestured out to the people around them. They sat in a park together, playing chess while talking about the people that passed them. Fu called it training, Nino called it people watching._

_“And even civilians have their own gifts to offer,” Nino filled in. This part of his training wasn't unusual. Nino needed to be able to read people well. He needed to see a person instantly and know if they could help their cause. “Because no one is not special. But… that kinda just sounds like a way of saying no one is special at all. Get what I mean?”_

_The old man chuckled as if he knew a secret. “Check,” he told his godson. “You aren't wrong in believing that, Xiǎo ké. But you are also not correct. Every person has something to offer another. In magic, in love. In life, little one. You are not seeing the big picture.”_

_Nino frowned down at the board. Deep in concentration, he didn't notice Fu pushing out his cane beside him. A cry disrupted him from the game as a teenaged boy tripped and fell. Nino was fast, years of martial arts training in secret had made his reflexes like lightning. He caught the boy in his arms and plucked the distracting phone from the air, before it had a chance to smash to the ground._

_Nino righted the dark haired male, letting him go so he could stand back and offer out the phone._

_“Wow,” the boy with turquoise eyes laughed, his voice sounded like magic. “A real knight in shining armour.”_

_Nino's cheeks flushed and he awkwardly laughed. This person was beautiful, and he couldn't find the words to tell them._

_“Thanks,” he went on. Silence turned hesitant. He glanced around them. “I'm gonna… thanks again.”_

_Nino sunk back into his seat opposite his godfather, watching the young man leave._

_“Xiǎo ké,” Fu called to Nino, the teen turning to look at the old man once more, a wistful expression still in place. “The big picture, remember. Did you feel the magic?”_

_Nino blinked out of his stupor. “I felt… something,” he admitted. “Don't know if it was magic…”_

_“Love is magic. And if you felt something just now, you know he will be in your future.”_

_Nino lit up in hope._

“And now Luka… I can't lose him too! And there's so many people depending on me and… Pa, I can't keep on losing people. Please don't let this happen, not to him…”

He'd let everyone down. He'd let his friends down, he'd let his team down. He was meant to be on top of this! 

Paris was depending on him. Dean had probably been depending on him, on the miraculous heroes to protect him, to save him, and they’d let him down. Nino had let him down, arriving just a moment too late. 

Since Fu’s death he’d felt like the weight of the world had been weighing upon his shoulders, and right now it had never felt heavier.


	8. Chapter 8

“Duusu, feathers drop,” Mayura muttered, as the blue washed away from every inch of her, including the brooch that sat above her breast. She watched in the window’s reflection as Mayura vanished, leaving behind a woman who was drenched in exhaustion. A woman who couldn’t hold a candle to the fear she caused with a single glance while under the miraculous’s protection.

In days long past her eyes had held such strength. Her gaze had been able to stand steady against men who could erase her entire existence. Not just steady but with a strength that had many fearing her, despite what little power she’d had then. Yet now, she just looked tired, as though life had refused to give her a break.

Which it very much had. Life had taken everything she loved and cruelly obliterated it. The man she loved? Beyond dead. The job she’d adored and taken such pride in? Gone, along with her spotless reputation, that lay soiled at her feet. She had no family to fall back on. No friends of which to speak of. No pets, no hobbies. Nothing.

All she had was a corrupt miraculous and a heart full of rage.

She sneered at the image of herself in the glass and yanked the thin, shabby curtains shut. The last thing she needed was people catching sight of her when she looked so pitiful.

“A new approach may be needed,” she uttered. She marched across the room, Duusu following behind silently, as per normal. “What I am doing, it isn’t enough. This pace… with it I’ll be ancient by the time I’ve found what I wan- No, not want.”

A fist curled tight by her side as she reached the end of the tiny lounge slash bedroom slash kitchenette. Such a pitifully tiny home, a cramped Frankenstein of rooms all smashed into one. It was finished with a ‘bathroom’ that was nothing more than an ancient toilet, a shower that always leaked and a sink that hadn’t worked since the day she’d moved in. 

What a disgust it was to live here. Yet it was all she could afford with her salary, if one could even call it that. It felt more like her bosses were giving her a little bit of pocket money for the seven hours of non stop work she did a day. Work she was supposed to feel GRATEFUL for having. A woman, with her brilliant skill set and resume, forced to belittle herself to such menial labour!

But it was necessary. Just for now. Just until he was back with her, safe and well and _alive._

“It’s what I NEED, Duusu,” she declared. Fire flared to life in eyes of electric blue, burning through her exhaustion, through the heartache and the pain. It roared through to her very soul, blackened by the thorned vines of vengeance that fully ensnared it. Yet instead of burning through them, of freeing her from her thirst of revenge that consumed her every waking thoughts, the flames only served as fuel for her dark desires. 

Duusu stared at her mistress through blank eyes, expressionless as she watched the woman sink down onto the small mattress that lay pushed up against a corner. Silence followed her once more as the kwami drifted down to sit upon a deflated pillow, and it only dragged on as the peafowl ever so slowly blinked.

“I don’t understand needs, Mistress,” the kwami uttered in a tiny voice, as void of emotion as her gaze was empty. “But yes. At this rate nothing will be achieved before your death.”

Oh how she gritted her teeth, barely resisting the urge to snarl at Duusu for stating a truth she already knew.

“I know this!” she spat harshly. “I don’t need the problem thrust into my face! I need solutions. So kindly keep your lips sealed unless you have anything useful to share.”

Quiet filled the tiny apartment, as the woman pulled the covers over herself and curled up. Her mind rushed, running in circles as she searched for an answer. For anything besides giving up. 

Because it just wasn’t an option. It couldn’t be.  
This was all for **his** sake, thus failure wasn’t an option.

“... We are not without options,” Duusu piped up with, breaking the bespectacled woman from her thoughts. “We could continue with what we’re doing. Of course for that to work we’d greatly have to pick up the pace. Get the heroes into a proper tizzy.”

“Oh yes, because THAT has worked brilliantly thus far!” the villain growled harshly. “Did I not already say that wouldn’t work, you idiotic excuse for a bird!”

“I wasn’t finished, Mistress. I think we need to be a little more strategic,” Duusu stated simply. “Instead of going after random young adults, we should maybe instead focus on those that have been akumatised before. There might be remnants of Hawkmoth’s link with their akuma selves in there, memories hidden deep away. Maybe those could lead us to that which we seek…”

“The identities of Paris’s former heroes. The monsters that tore him from me. That KILLED my poor, tortured Gabriel…”

She drew in a sharp breath as she turned on her side, pulling from beneath her mattress a cracked, framed photograph. In it was an incredibly rare photo of a younger Gabriel Agreste, a small smile pulling at thin lips. Beside him stood a younger Nathalie, smiling from ear to ear as she held up her letter of acceptance, a fancy sheet of paper that told the world she was now the personal assistant of Paris’s most promising up and coming fashion designer.

_“You… You’re sure, Mr. Agreste?” Nathalie asked, her voice shaking with barely restrained joy._

_She had dreamed to get this job. Who wouldn’t want to work for this man? So talented that there were whispers that he would one day soon rule the fashion empire; that his name would become synonymous with Gucci, Parada and the likes?_

_To be the personal assistant of a man with such a burning passion for what he did, who seemed to live for the job… well, she could relate to that. Nathalie too lived for her work. After all, working was all she had._

_“I assure you, Miss Sancoeur, I do not jest. I am sure,” Gabriel replied, his voice holding a genuine kindness she hadn't been expecting. That he certainly hadn’t been extending to the other applicants._

_“You are more than qualified for this position. Enough that I’m a little surprised that you decided to use your talents in service of another,” he paused, and Nathalie watched with rapt attention as a certain thoughtfulness crossed his eyes._

_“Why did you decide to become a personal assistant over, say, a general manager or some greater position of corporate power. I have no doubt you would thrive in such a career.”_

_Nathalie simply smiled and shook her head._

_“I could do something like that. But I’m at my happiest when I’m working together with someone who’s passionate about his job. Who I can help boost to be their absolute best and most successful!” Nathalie declared, and she was delighted to see Gabriel’s lips quirking into the slightest of smiles._

_“Well then. I believe with you by my side, Miss Sancoeur, nothing shall ever bring me down.”_

There had been such happiness in those days… before Emilie had come along and stolen his attention away. Before Adrien had been born and drew Gabriel further from his work. Even further from Nathalie.

A seething breath pushed its way from her lips.

“Duusu. Go get yourself something to eat and set the kettle to boil. Tonight is going to be long.”

The kwami zipped away as she sat herself back up and grabbed a worn old notebook from underneath her mattress.

“Rest easy, Gabriel. You have nothing to worry about… Just leave everything to me. All is safe in the hands of your beloved assistant~.”

Nathalie giggled to herself, the sound as twisted at the smile that stretched across her dry lips. 

“Now… Whose mind shall we be diving into next?”


End file.
